The Politics Behind The Massive Explosion At Beirut Port Explained
Aside from the basic story of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate aboard the Rhosus, people in Lebanon don't know the exact cause that yielded the August 4 explosion of Beirut port.
They are still in the dark with no explanation from the country's officials, other than hearing about arrests and interrogation .
Meanwhile, the world experts and investigators have been busy digging for more information and explaining their findings and deductions to the public.
Like all that is related to this demise so far, the Lebanese are relying on them to supply them with some explanations, the way they have been relying on external aid to help them out through this catastrophe.
The latest that came from foreign experts is that there had to be something else in Hangar 12 that caused the massive catastrophe because ammonium nitrate on its own is not enough.
They are correct.
Photo Credit: The New York Times
"In the same hangar were jugs of oil, kerosene, and hydrochloric acid; five miles of fuse on wooden spools; and 15 tons of fireworks — in short, every ingredient needed to construct a bomb that could devastate a city," wrote The New York Times .
All the ingredients for a perfect monstrous bomb were there. The fireworks did not just ignite the ammonium nitrate.
They served as detonators of the "ingredients" that were stored together , as explained by the explosives experts to The New York Times.
Photo Credit: Th e New York Times
That led to an initial explosion followed by the second deadly one.
Jimmie Oxley, a chemistry professor at the University of Rhode Island, explained to the newspaper that the initial explosion showing "a smoky mix of partially combusted ammonium nitrate" is deemed "an inefficient blast," which suggests "that it wasn't set off on purpose."
Investigations, so far, say so. The welding sparked it. Yet it all amounts to years of deep-rooted corruption, government dysfunction, and the politics of turning a blind eye, including neglecting to act despite the grave warnings.
In fact, security officer Joseph Naddaf was one of the first to warn of the imminent danger... only to find that many Lebanese officials already knew. Curiously enough, he was detained as a suspect in relation to the incident.
After investigation, The New York Times reported that Lebanon's "corrupt and dysfunctional system" not only ignored the threat but did so while "enriching the country’s political leaders through bribery and smuggling."
This does not come as a surprise to the Lebanese.
The New York Times
The disaster-in-waiting was the result of years of neglect and bureaucratic buck-passing by a dysfunctional government that subjugated public safety to the more pressing business of bribery and graft.
The New York Times
Lebanese are not ignorant of the fact that nothing used to move in the port without "gifts." It is common knowledge to them that customs officers take kickbacks, overlook things, and give people "passes" on their goods.
"The Ali Baba's Cave" is what the Lebanese people got to call the Beirut port, something The New York Times pointed out to.
Scandals have been too many and often revealed by Lebanese investigative journalists, like Riad Kobaissi of Al-Jadeed TV. Politicians will even exploit disabled family members to gain exemptions and import luxury goods without paying taxes.
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Just take this example. "Last year, the Ministry of Social Affairs granted a 3-month-old infant with Down Syndrome an exemption to import a luxury car tax-free," reported The NY Times.
That's how blunt and daring corruption has been going on in the country.
And it all goes back to how the civil war ended with militiamen in the government and more branching out in power, developing their own sectional governances of the country's affairs, in the name of sectarianism.
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According to the newspaper, when the war ended, the designated-government appointed six people linked to the main political parties to run the port temporarily "until a permanent arrangement could be found."
The temporarily became permanent. The status never changed ever since. Those politically-backed people still run the port today. "Its members have not changed in nearly two decades."