Millions will infiltrate into other countries from Lebanon, warns Lebanese thinktank

Dubai: – The political and economic crisis in Lebanon has taken a terrible turn. As a result, a think tank in Lebanon warned that millions of Lebanese were preparing to flee to Western or Arab countries. Meanwhile, a senior Lebanese leader appealed that a government should be formed, within a week, if the country has to be saved. Lebanon’s defence chief has warned that growing chaos in the country could collapse government and military systems.

There has been instability in Lebanon for the past two years. Despite the elections, due to intense political differences and disagreements, the government could not be formed, in this country, during the year. Corruption, inflation, rising unemployment and increasing Iranian interference have been blamed for instability in Lebanon. A study group from the American University of Beirut warned that a large section of the Lebanese population was harassed by the situation and was preparing to leave the country. The Lebanese study group said the country would soon experience the third largest migration in history.

Before this, more than a quarter of a million people had migrated from Mount Lebanon during the First World War. An estimated one million people were displaced in Lebanon during the civil war that erupted between 1975 and 1990. However, the Lebanese study group claims that the current immigrant influx will be even greater. The Lebanese people, plagued by political, economic, and social instability, have no choice but to leave the country, likely exacerbating the refugee crisis.

If Lebanon does not have a stable government, the country’s economy will collapse. For this, the Lebanese think tank cited the report of the World Bank. If Lebanon gets a stable government in the next few days, it will take at least 12 years for the country to reach 2017 gross national productivity. But if the formation of the government is delayed, it will take 19 years to achieve that goal, the World Bank had warned.

The Arab Youth Opinion Survey found that 77 per cent of Lebanon’s youth wanted to leave the country last year due to political and economic turmoil. Last year alone, about 380,000 Lebanese applied for admission to the United States, Canada and European countries. The chaos and instability in Lebanon are also affecting the country’s health and education systems. Since 2019, 1,600 nurses and hundreds of teachers and professors have moved from Lebanon to other countries.

Meanwhile, it is claimed that Iranian-affiliated Hezbollah and pro-Hezbollah groups are responsible for the unrest in Lebanon. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who won last year’s election, declared a new government. But Lebanese President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah supporter, opposed Hariri’s government. This created a political stalemate in Lebanon. The failure to form a government has brought the Lebanese system to a standstill, with dire political, economic and social consequences.