Abstract:
This thesis interweaves analytical elements from the disciplines of international affairs, law, and relations, as well as political anthropology and public policy to understand the case of the 2020 Beirut Port explosion. The case is not limited to the day of the blast, the 4th of August. It spans from the sailing of The Rhosus ship which brought the explosive ammonium nitrate to Lebanon in 2013 to the aftermath management of the blast up until today. Furthermore, I argue that the eruption of post-explosion violent clashes can be rooted in the untreated civil war legacy.
While the general discussion focuses on amnesia, my conviction is rather that the forgetfulness is intentional, not to say orchestrated. For instance, the Rhosus’ chronicles are erased first and foremost by its flag of convenience, which opens the way to contradicting supposed scenarios. This multiplicity leads to another layer of erasure, that of crime evidence, victims, and justice.
This layered erasure becomes the essential political issue to unpack and resolve. How Hizballah, a major constituent and political party of the Lebanese society, has been accused of destroying the capital on the basis of circumstantial analysis of accumulating tension remains an ingenious act of political discourse shaping. Therefore, this thesis is particularly interested in (re)constructing the elements of this narrative, not for the sake of pointing fingers, but to elucidate how we understand our Lebanese violence through the lens of what has been erased.
With my engaging and sometimes lyrical style, I aim for this thesis to become the cornerstone of a series of recollection of Lebanese chronicles from the perspective of what trends are brought by the waves of the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, I propose new trails of research, with the ultimate objective of broader mobilization for accountability.
