The devastating explosion that tore through Beirut earlier this month exposed the elite corruption at the heart of Lebanese governance. The blast itself, which was almost certainly caused by a stockpile of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had sat unguarded at Beirut’s port since 2013, may not have been deliberate.

The struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia for dominance in the Middle East has insinuated itself into nearly every regional issue, fracturing international alliances and sustaining wars across the region, while raising fears of a direct conflict between the two powers.

A recently published report estimated the size of the losses suffered by the Syrian economy during the last eight years, at more than 400 billion dollars. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in cooperation with St. Andrews University in the UK, issued a report in which it …