It was only a matter of time. Graft, corruption, and negligence had left 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate lying unchecked for 6 years in a hangar at Beirut's crowded port. It was a disaster-in-waiting, a genuine time-bomb itching to ignite within lethal distance of both homes and harbour. Lebanese officials knew — from customs authorities to army commanders to the prime minister and the president — and did nothing. Then, one day early in August, the conditions were just right. A blast roughly one tenth as powerful as the atomic explosion in Hiroshima killed at least 190, leaving the country reeling amid the devastation. But even before the explosion, Lebanon was already erupting. Bribery and cronyism had enriched a complacent elite, while immiseration spread due to economic collapse. Resentment had spilled into the streets: widespread protests called for an overhaul of the political class. Judge Ghassan Oueidat, Lebanon's chief public prosecutor: "We failed at running a country." Amid the rubble, can a more just society be built? Or is Lebanon, raised on compromised foundations, doomed to founder? The answer must lie with the People. Otherwise, Lebanon will serve as a dire warning to failing states the world over. Which will be the next to fall?
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