- 10
- Apr.
- 2025
Policewomen did arrive at traffic lights in Beirut… a symbolic presence. The government, however, has boldly boasted that the Lebanese “will witness” what it will accomplish in terms of security.
In reality, things are going from bad to worse. The streets of Lebanese cities look like South American megalopolis. Violent assaults are increasing. In the past, travelers to Rio de Janeiro were told that to survive in this city, it was imperative to leave watches, money and jewelry in the safe... and to walk around in jeans and a T-shirt. Well, you don’t have to go that far to experience this life-saving voluntary stripping. Just walk our streets. Not a day goes by without a sordid news item. Robberies, armed men on motorcycles attacking civilians at all hours… sometimes causing victims, as in Ain al-Remmaneh this week. As recently as 10 PM on Monday, three young girls were attacked in the Sioufi district of Ashrafieh.
In the north, some districts in Tripoli have become true cut-throats after dark. In the northern capital, crime is compounded with poverty. Crime is rampant, and impunity is widespread. This raises the legitimate question of what the authorities responsible for internal security are doing about it. Where are the patrols, the rounds, the investigations, the arrests...? The answer: it’s a “feeling” of insecurity, though “order” is maintained. Of course! Why don’t you explain that to the people of Beirut, who now prefer carpooling or following each other in several cars to reduce the risk of assault?
At this rate, the summer season looks set to be fantastic! And burglaries? Also just “a feeling.” However, armored door dealers have seen their order books explode. But nothing stops thieves, muggers, killers... fear of the gendarme has been an obscure concept for some time now.
The problem is that in Lebanon, everyone is armed. The risk is high that some civilians will take the law into their own hands. The next phase will be neighborhood militias. Each will have its own territory and ambitions. To avoid this nightmare, the government needs to get its act together, admit that delinquency is on the rise and take concrete measures.
As with other issues, for now, we’re lulled by the purr of sweet promises of a brighter tomorrow. But the carelessness is beginning to show. The army is trying to protect the country in the south, north and east... It can no longer play the role of police force. A comprehensive security plan is urgently needed to reassure the population. Because enough is enough. War, destruction, crisis and delinquency cannot go on. The country needs a breath of fresh air.
In two months’ time, it’ll be summer, and expatriates – and perhaps Europeans and citizens of the Gulf States – will be returning to the country. If all goes well. If Hezbollah doesn’t embark on another risky adventure, if the economic situation improves, if tourists aren’t targeted by the thugs who come and go as they please, if prices worthy of Tokyo stabilize, if Lebanon is reintegrated into the global financial circuit, if the displaced Syrians are properly counted, if the roads are lit in such a way that a tourist doesn’t go from a hole to a humpback... into a ditch, if garbage isn't thrown into the sea, if each minister takes care of his or her files and stops making geopolitics with a “wooden tongue” as soon as Morgan Ortagus turns her back...
Everything is going very well madame la marquise... except for the people, the infrastructure, the security, the light, the economy, the roads and the state. But otherwise... it’s perfect.
Gibran Khalil Gibran once said, “Lebanon is not a country where you live, it’s a country where you wait.” Let’s wait, then. Let’s wait! Come on, we’ll make it.
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