The continuing conflict in the Lebanon and the Middle East can only lead to more partition of the region and unless the international community realizes how serious the impact of this conflict upon the regional countries and its communities which will inevitably spread to the international community the future of the region will be bleak and extremely unstable.
Lebanon is worst affected by this conflict, what is not mentioned in the media is its direct and indirect negative impact upon Lebanese fragile social community and Lebanon’s colonial era infrastructure which barely accommodate its public, being electricity, water or even sewerage all such services are already exhausted from lack of due maintenance and funding since Lebanon long civil war which lasted over thirty five years and still simmers among local politicians and previous warlords…
United Nations admits the official refugees figure of 1.2 million Syrian and four hundred thousand Palestinian refugees relocated to Lebanon since 1948 but Lebanese know better than that, the actual figure of Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon by far exceeds the 2 million and increasing, the extra figure accumulation is due to the non-registered Syrian refugees who refuse to register out of fear for their safety from Syrian intelligence which is embedded in many government and privately owned institutes and establishments, Syrian Intel. Is found even in restaurants and banks not mentioning the Syrian refugee camps and communities which managed to spread all over Lebanon from coast to remote mountain villages…
The impact on the Lebanese community is obvious and clear starting from the dwindling opportunities of earning daily living to the diminishing role of governance and national security not mentioning the socio cultural alienation felt by the majority of Lebanese leading many of them to either relocate to another country or follow whatever alternative they can afford in a last attempt to escape this bleak reality.
Property rental hiked up in a drastic level, Syrians who can afford to rent are willing to rent even unfit small flats or rooms to fit in with their families and relatives squeezed in like sardines in a can.
Middle class Syrians are renting shop while many of them rent only for temporary period either to money laundry illegitimate money smuggled from Syria or simply to end up closing down or re renting to other Syrians due to relocation to a different country, the list if reasons and causes is growing but the end justifies the means and the impact can only lead to a total chaos.
Lebanon streets are squeezed up by astronomical increase of car numbers making streets a huge care park for double parking cars and in some street triple parking making traffic the norm of every day affecting all sectors of life adding yet another devastating negative impact for any progress on the national or individual level in the country.
Syrian refugees do not pay taxes in return to what they exhaustingly consume in such a small country with so little national rescources…
Lebanon suffers from an immature political and social expertise to cause a change to the hopeless impact of this conflict upon Lebanon and unless international community enforces the deterrence by introducing immediate measures to rectify the impact resulting from this conflict Lebanon can become a true failed state and the once known Switzerland of the Middle East can end up the Calcutta of the Middle East.
Good luck Lebanon
Adam El Masri
