In a webinar dated 27 May 2020, Jadaliyya Co-Editor Ziad Abu-Rish analyzed the trajectory of Lebanon's uprising in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the contemporary political scene. Abu-Rish's three-part presentation examined the multiple crises manifesting in Lebanon, the nature of the uprising that begain in October 2019, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affacted both. While the currency, fiscal, developmental, and infrastructural crises were central to the making of Lebanon’s uprising, he argued, the novel strategic innovations that the protesters made were key to shaping its trajectory relative to past protests. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has both exacerbated existing dynamics while also providing respite to the government and some of the traditional political parties.
[This talk was hosted by Stanford University's Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and posted to their website orginally.]