logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
30m 27s

Lebanon: Anatomy of a failed state

THE TIMES
About this episode

Lebanon is in economic crisis with shortages of food, medicine and electricity on the ground. Today, how did the country, whose capital was once described as the Paris of the Middle East, get here? And is there hope for the future?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Guest: Richard Spencer, middle east correspondent, The Times.

Clips: The Baim Collection: Soundtrack from 1961 film ‘This is Lebanon’, BBC, UPTIN, CNBC, Thames TV, Al Jazeera, Channel 4, RT.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
A breakthrough in Gaza
President Trump hails 'everlasting peace' in Gaza and promises hostages will be released as early as Monday. But will a ceasefire hold? How did we go from multiple sticking points last week to seeming agreement this week? And is Trump going to get the Nobel peace prize for it, la ... Show More
23m 48s
Yesterday
How Trump’s using the government shutdown to remake America
The US government has been shut down for more than a week, and Democrats and Republicans are locked in a political blame game. Shutdowns are nothing new in US politics, but this time President Trump has made an unusual threat: to permanently cut hundreds of thousands of jobs and ... Show More
28m 2s
Oct 8
My daughter used ChatGPT as a therapist, then took her own life
When 29-year-old Sophie Rottenberg took her own life, her family later discovered she’d been confiding in a chatbot called ‘Harry’ things that she wasn’t telling any human.This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles. If you or someone you know is struggling, help i ... Show More
27m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
Has Lebanon found a lifeline?
Lebanon has had a few bright spots of news in its long running economic collapse. On Monday, a new government was confirmed for the first time in 13 months, and fuel is coming in to fill a dire need for electricity. But it was brought from Iran by Hezbollah, which could pose its ... Show More
17m 27s
Jun 2023
How Lebanon’s economy collapsed
Protests, power cuts and bank hold-ups – Lebanon was already struggling before the 2020 port explosion that devasted its capital, Beirut, but now it’s in a desperate economic collapse. The Lebanese people are struggling to buy basic food and medicine. And the country also hosts t ... Show More
18m 56s
Aug 2021
Is Lebanon a failed state?
Gideon Rachman talks to Chloe Cornish, the FT’s Middle East correspondent, on how decades of misgovernance have led to Lebanon’s current political, economic and social crisis. Chloe recounts how the year since the explosion in Beirut, the country’s capital city, has been one of w ... Show More
22m 15s
Jul 2020
Ep.193 (Video): Podcasting with the Lebanese Politics Podcast
0:00 Intro 2:25 Life in Beirut 10:48 Learning through Podcasting 17:20 Is consensus-driven governance the core problem? 23:04 Reflections 44:28 The Ultimate Stumbling Block 1:01:42 Freedom of Expression Click to watch: https://youtu.be/sDm5PSdUeOc We're with the Lebanese Politics ... Show More
1h 32m
Dec 2023
The ‘Ponzi scheme’ behind Lebanon’s economic collapse
For years, Riad Salameh was praised for his revolutionary financial policies as head of Lebanon’s central bank. But suddenly, the country plunged into an economic crisis. And Salameh left the central bank with a disgraced reputation and, investigators believe, a massive personal ... Show More
21m 39s
Feb 2021
Ep.248 (Video): Compromised Sovereignty with Mouafac Harb
0:00 Intro 3:04 Are the big answers outside? 16:04 Multiple Assassinations 21:23 Sovereignty 30:12 Long-Term Investment 40:01 What can be done? 55:21 Media 1:07:53 My Father We're with Mouafac Harb for Episode 248 of The Beirut Banyan. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/qlObTi8-s5Y ... Show More
1h 17m
May 2021
Ep.261: A Lot to Talk About with Kareem Chehayeb
0:00 Intro 2:35 Covering the Story 9:27 Investigative Process 19:01 The Public Source 31:34 Avoiding the Usual? 38:52 The Gap 47:13 Impossible to Reform 53:17 Getting Worse? We're with Kareem Chehayeb for Episode 261 of The Beirut Banyan. Click to watch: https://youtu.be/8Vx3HBjA ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2020
EPISODE 119: Traditional News Reporting with Joseph Haboush
We're joined by Joseph Haboush for Episode 119 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the difficulties facing traditional media outlets like The Daily Star - Lebanon, and the determination of news reporters to deliver content despite financial woes. Joseph reflects on The Daily Sta ... Show More
40m 29s