Beirut Ablaze
Good government and rule of law matter. A lot.
I've been to Beirut once, a couple years ago, with Kauffman Fellows. I loved Beirut immediately. It’s like New York. Cool. Intellectual. A melting pot. A little nihilism in the air that comes from daily life under existential threats. It was on a street in Beirut that I spontaneously exclaimed 'this is the essence of existence.' And that was early in the night, to be sure.
It was with horror that I watched that video showing a large fire morph into a super-sonic explosion followed by a flume of ammonium nitrous gas.
How could this have happened? Was it terrorism?
No, apparently not. It was neglect. Lack of accountability. Limited integrity. Systemic rot. The specifics of what happened are that seven years ago a leaky, old Russian cargo ship made what they thought to be a short detour to the port of Beirut.
"The crew were asked to load some heavy road equipment and take it to Jordan’s Port of Aqaba before resuming their journey onto Africa, where the ammonium nitrate was to be delivered to an explosives manufacturer. But the ship was never to leave Beirut, having tried and failed to safely load the additional cargo before becoming embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute over port fees."
A legal dispute over port fees?
"The head of Beirut port and the head of customs said that several letters were sent to the judiciary asking for the material be removed, but no action was taken.
Reuters could not immediately reach Lebanon’s justice minister for comment. The Justice Ministry is closed for three days of national mourning.
According to Prokoshev, the ship had been leaking but was seaworthy when it sailed into Beirut in September 2013. However, he said Lebanese authorities paid little attention to the ammonium nitrate, which had been stacked in the hull in large sacks."
Three days of national mourning? For the government?
The blast in Beirut should send shock-waves around the world about what the future looks when your government decays.
When there aren't officials you can trust to work for the public good.
The consequences are life and death.
The economic damage will be beyond what the best accountants can quantify.
Public services are often a thankless job. There is limited upside, but a lot of downside risk. When things go wrong, the costs are immense and can be blamed on you.
Well-functioning rule of law is so, so necessary for prosperity. Above all else. Above innovation. Above entrepreneurship