As the fireworks of the opening ceremony of the Olympics went off in London, gunfire was resounding once again in Tripoli.
Lebanon’s infrastructure has been damaged by repeated conflict, with the country even now still reeling from the destruction of civilian infrastructure (including power and water plants and transport infrastructure) by Israel in the 2006 war.
The revolutionaries must find a way to bond former oppressors and oppressed together in this process.
Despite containing both vehement (and often armed) supporters and opponents of Assad, Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps have stayed largely free of the turmoil affecting some Lebanese communities.
A series of potentially incendiary events have brought new headlines, blog posts, status updates and tweets proclaiming that Lebanon is slipping into Syria’s war.
A more important root to the current violence is the poverty blighting these communities. It is no secret that Tripoli is neglected in terms of investment, education, public services and employment.
News channels are currently filled with images of death and destruction from Homs, with estimates that more than 9,000 civilians have died in Syria so far.
