How the Beirut explosion was a government failure

Overview

On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion rocked Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. The blast occurred when sparks in a warehouse hit a stockpile of ammonium nitrate — a highly explosive material — that was stored in the city's port. It was one of the largest accidental explosions in history and it couldn't have occurred at a worse time for Lebanon. For the past several years, the country has been sliding into an economic depression and a political crisis. The root causes began during the country's 20-year civil war and extend to the organization of the government, in which control is divided among the country's many religious sects. After years of corruption and negligence, Lebanon's people are now stuck picking up the pieces.