Lebanons Botched Economic Rescue

Published: June 13, 2023, 2:48 a.m.

Lebanon\u2019s ruling elites have sabotaged talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which offered the last hope for reforms that could save the country\u2019s economy and improve life for millions of suffering people.\xa0\nOn this episode of the Order From Ashes podcast, researchers Sami Zoughaib, from The Policy Institute in Lebanon, and Sam Heller, from Century International, reveal how Lebanon\u2019s elites have misled the public on the reality of the country\u2019s dire situation.\nWithout some course change, Zoughaib and Heller argue, Lebanon will not have the IMF program it needs to halt its economic collapse. But public pressure could still force elites to act responsibly\u2014or at least hold those elites accountable.\nThe two researchers discuss the findings in their new report, a joint production of Century International and The Policy Institute in Lebanon. It is part of \u201cNetworks of Change: Reviving Governance and Citizenship in the Middle East,\u201d a Century International project supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Open Society Foundations.\nRead:\n\u201cThe Shadow Plan: How Lebanese Elites Are Sabotaging Their Country\u2019s IMF Lifeline,\u201d by Sami Zoughaib and Sam Heller.\nParticipants:\nSami Zoughaib, economist and research manager at The Policy Initiative in Lebanon\nSam Heller, fellow, Century International\nThanassis Cambanis, director, Century International