Video / Middle East & North Africa 27 January 2022

Lebanon: A State on the Brink

This Crisis Group documentary gives voice to those coping with a state nearing collapse. It shows why today's interlocking crises are so much deeper and more dangerous than many others that have plagued Lebanon over nearly half a century of deadly conflicts.

Two years into its disastrous economic crisis, Lebanon is falling apart. A huge explosion that wrecked a swathe of Beirut in August 2020 and deadly street violence in October 2021 were only the latest stumbles down a steeply downward trajectory. Eighty per cent of the population of what once was one of the best-off Middle Eastern states now lives in poverty.

This street-level view of Beirut's despair gives voice to those coping with a state nearing collapse. With the participation of Heiko Wimmen, Crisis Group's Project Director for Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, this project led by our Videographer Michelle Malaney shows why today's interlocking crises are so much deeper and more dangerous than many others that have plagued the country over nearly half a century of deadly conflicts.

Read Crisis Group's recommendations on how to pull Lebanon back from the brink here.