It’s been one year since the Beirut port exploded, killing over 200 people and wounding thousands. And it’s been almost two years since Lebanon’s Ponzi scheme economy started crashing. The West often blames the devastation that has befallen Lebanon on government mismanagement, sectarianism, bureaucratic incompetence, internal corruption, and their favorite boogeyman, Hezbollah.

But you can’t speak honestly about Lebanon’s problems without mentioning the constant US, Saudi, and Israeli meddling, western imperialism, the neoliberal dystopia that was imposed on Lebanon, and US sanctions. And you can’t isolate Lebanon from destructive US policies in the countries surrounding it, from Syria and Iraq to Iran and Palestine.

To discuss how Lebanon got to where it is, Rania Khalek was joined by Jamal Ghosn, a columnist at the leftist Lebanese newspaper, Al Akhbar.

Follow Jamal Ghosn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamalghosn

You can listen to all episodes of Rania Khalek Dispatches anywhere you get podcasts.

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