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1 1 (August 07, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbfh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: August7, 2020 Lebanon Lebanon, a country of 5.5 million people, currently faces the worst economic crisis in its history amid ongoing politicalunrest, the spreadofCOVID-19, and an August 2020 explosion that severelydamaged the port of Beirut. Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees in the world per capita (over one million, mostly Syrians), which has raised socialtensions and strainedpublic services. U.S. policy toward Lebanon has focused on countering the influence of Iran and Hezbollah, and on bolstering the capabilities of the Lebanese state-while also calling for reforms to counter corruption and mismanagement. Lebanon's confessional political systemdivides power among its three largest religious communities (Maronite Christian, Sunni, Shi'a), to which it allocates the posts of president, prime minister, and parliamentary speaker, respectively. Lebanese President Michel Aoun was elected in 2016 by Lebanon's parliament for a six-year tern Aoun is affiliated with the Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which along with Hezbollah andthe Shi'a Anial Movement comprise the major components of the March 8 politicalbloc. Parliamentary elections in 2018 gave the bloc, which advocates friendly ties with Iran and Syria, a simple majority (68 out of 128 seats). The United States has maintained ties with March 8's politicalrival, known as the March l4bloc, which includes the Future Movement (Sunni), the Lebanese Forces, and Kataeb (both Christian). Former Prine Minister and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri formed a government in January 2019. The 30- member Harii cabinet was majority March 8, reflecting the results of the 2018 legislative elections, but parties expected to align with March 14 held 11 seats. In October 2019, Hariri resigned amid mass protests against state corruption, ineptitude, and economic mismanagement, triggering the collapse of the government. In January 2020, Lebanon formed a new governmentunder Prime Minister Hassan Diab. The 20-member Diab cabinet is the first since 2005 composed entirely of parties froma single politicalbloc (March 8). Parties affiliated with March 14, which opposed Diab's nomination on the grounds thathe was selectedby Hezbollah allies over the objection o fLebanon' s largest Sunni party, boycotted the government. The new cabinet described itself as technocratic and most ministers are not career politicians. However, most haveties to establishedpoliticalparties and may lack the ability to operate independently fromparty leaders. On August 3, Lebanon's foreign minister resigned, stating that Lebanon was slipping into becoming a failed state, andstatingthatthere was an absenceofwill to enact comprehensive reforms. Figure I. Lebanon Source: Created by CRS using ESRI, Google Maps, and Good Shepherd Engineering and Computing. On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion at the port of Beirut killed over 150 people, injured thousands, and displaced 300,000 people. Lebanese officials linked the explosion to 2,750 tons of annoniumnitrate thathadbeen confiscated froma disabled cargo ship in 2014 and stored in a warehouse at the port. Ammoniumnitrate is used as a commercial explosive in mining and quarrying; it is also an additive to fertilizer. According to the government, the initial cause of the explosion was a welding accident at the port. Many Lebanese viewedthe blast as areflection of acute government negligence and mismanagement. Extensive damage at the port-including to food storage facilities-is expected to exacerbate existing shortages. Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FFO), operates in Lebanon as a militia force, a politicalparty, and aproviderof social services. It is closely linked to Iran, which provides it with significant funding andhas usedit as a proxy or allied force to threaten Israel. While Israel withdrew in 2000 from areas of southern Leb anon it had occupied since 1982, Hezbollah has used theremaining Israelipresencein disputed areas in the Lebanon-Syria-Israel triborder region tojustify its ongoing conflict with Israel and its continued exis tence as an armed militia alongside theLebanese Armed Forces (LAF). In 2006, Hezbollah and Israelfoughta 34-day war that killed over 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese. A A '2 .< Ta4 i~k *: x::: . N&x~tieh Vye I 1\ xa S 1,k \\\\w ,\\g wqq \\q

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