Politicization of the anti-corruption campaign in Lebanon
As Lebanon’s political parties, namely Hezbollah, are leading anti-corruption efforts by going after high-level former ministers, questions are raised about these efforts’ seriousness and effectiveness.
The latest buzzword in Lebanon is combating corruption. Nearly every political party, most notably Hezbollah, is preaching this mantra. The Lebanese public and international donors are complaining about political corruption, as the country grapples to survive a grave economic and fiscal crisis. Yet there are questions concerning the depth and seriousness of these efforts.
This campaign has been massive in recent weeks, tackling suspects in the judicial branch, the security sector and professional unions, among others. The Ministry of Justice has accelerated the processing of corruption cases and there is a media frenzy feeding this narrative with regular scoops unveiling new corruption charges.
There are three major motivations driving this anti-corruption euphoria: the country’s near economic collapse, the public’s growing grievances and the government’s commitments to international donors.
This anti-corruption campaign seems to deflect the attention away from decadeslong mismanagement of public resources, the sectarian nature of the patronage system and the high economic cost of the country’s political instability.
