Emmanuel Macron asks turkeys to vote for Thanksgiving during Lebanon visit
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Well, that was a nothingbaguette. For French President Emmanuel Macron, his second visit to Beirut since the devastating blasts of August 4 yielded one memorable photo-op, some posturing before the international media, a few airy bromides about the need for political reform and an unspecified threat of sanctions against those who oppose it.
For the Lebanese, it produced a loose, caveat-laden promise: in October, an international conference of donors in Paris will provide the financial assistance needed to rebuild their collapsing economy — and their collapsed capital — but (and this is a big “but”) only if (and this is a big “if”) their political elite agrees to demolish the system that has brought the country to the depths of dysfunction.
Yet what if the political elite ignores Macron’s call, just as it has all previous appeals for reform? Cue the Gallic shrug. “I will tell the international community that we can’t help Lebanon,” said Macron, “but also explain to the Lebanese people that your leaders decided it would be so.”
To which they would undoubtedly reply, “Tell us something we don’t already know.” The Lebanese have heard it all before. Western leaders have for several years importuned the political leadership on the need for political reform. It has been the first proviso invoked by every international lender.
The Lebanese aren’t likely to hold out much hope from an aid conference in Paris. There have been several of those over the decades, most recently in 2018, when delegates from 41 countries gathered in the French capital to pledge $11bn in loans and grants, providing that government in Beirut enacted reforms. The conference “only has a purpose if it’s accompanied by a profound transformation”, said the host, one Emmanuel Macron.
There was no transformation, and very little of the pledged money made its way to Lebanon.
The Lebanese had hoped for rather more from Macron this time, especially after the promise of his high-profile visit in the immediate aftermath of the Beirut blasts. Then, too, he had admonished their leaders to undertake “a new political initiative,” and promised to host an aid conference in Paris. There was an online conference, co-hosted with the UN, and it yielded $300m in disaster relief — slim pickings, considering the damage from the blast has been estimated at $4.6bn.
Many donors are channelling their contributions to nongovernmental organisations and charities, keeping it out of the ...
For the Lebanese, it produced a loose, caveat-laden promise: in October, an international conference of donors in Paris will provide the financial assistance needed to rebuild their collapsing economy — and their collapsed capital — but (and this is a big “but”) only if (and this is a big “if”) their political elite agrees to demolish the system that has brought the country to the depths of dysfunction.
Yet what if the political elite ignores Macron’s call, just as it has all previous appeals for reform? Cue the Gallic shrug. “I will tell the international community that we can’t help Lebanon,” said Macron, “but also explain to the Lebanese people that your leaders decided it would be so.”
To which they would undoubtedly reply, “Tell us something we don’t already know.” The Lebanese have heard it all before. Western leaders have for several years importuned the political leadership on the need for political reform. It has been the first proviso invoked by every international lender.
The Lebanese aren’t likely to hold out much hope from an aid conference in Paris. There have been several of those over the decades, most recently in 2018, when delegates from 41 countries gathered in the French capital to pledge $11bn in loans and grants, providing that government in Beirut enacted reforms. The conference “only has a purpose if it’s accompanied by a profound transformation”, said the host, one Emmanuel Macron.
There was no transformation, and very little of the pledged money made its way to Lebanon.
The Lebanese had hoped for rather more from Macron this time, especially after the promise of his high-profile visit in the immediate aftermath of the Beirut blasts. Then, too, he had admonished their leaders to undertake “a new political initiative,” and promised to host an aid conference in Paris. There was an online conference, co-hosted with the UN, and it yielded $300m in disaster relief — slim pickings, considering the damage from the blast has been estimated at $4.6bn.
Many donors are channelling their contributions to nongovernmental organisations and charities, keeping it out of the ...