The explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in Beirut port killed 200 people, injured 5,000 and left more than 250,000 homeless August 2020.
Eight months after the big explosion, the declaration of intent to rebuild the plan began. AFP news from the port of Beirut on April 14 said that international companies are scrambling to get ahead of the curve. The reconstruction project involves not only billions of dollars, but also a reorganization of geopolitical influence.
Bassem al-Kaissi, acting head of the Port of Beirut, summed it up: “The Russians, the Chinese, the Turks, the French and now the Germans, all have their eyes on the port. But it is only at the stage of declaration of intent”.
German ecology
A Berlin-backed German maritime consortium unveiled an ambitious $30 billion project in Beirut on April 9, which plans to build social housing and develop green spaces and beaches on the ruins of Beirut’s port within 20 years. A German company has been responsible for handling 52 containers of dangerous goods found in the port of Beirut in February this year, while the massive explosion on August 4 last year originated from a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse.
French intelligence
French shipping giant CMA-CGM is also on the starting line. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Lebanon for the second time since the explosion last September, the group’s French-Lebanese CEO, Rodolphe Saad, went along for the ride. The group’s regional director, Joe Dakkak, told AFP that on that occasion they presented “a complete three-phase reconstruction plan” to the Lebanese authorities. He explained that the goal was to rebuild, widen and update the infrastructure to make it a “smart port.
Geopolitics
In addition to commercial interests, the reconstruction of the port of Beirut also has a geopolitical dimension in terms of regional and inter-power competition for influence. Political scientist Imad Salamey explains that “the exploration of natural gas offshore in the Mediterranean basin,” “future economic collaboration between Israel and the Arab states,” and “Russian expansion in the Middle East” are all “catalysts” for these coveted interests.
The Lebanese American University (LAU) professor stressed that control of the port of Beirut could have a “significant impact” on the control of offshore gas.
In 2018, Lebanon had signed its first exploration contract with a consortium led by France’s Total Group, which includes Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novotec. Professor Salami said that Russia is now “already exploring for Syrian offshore gas.”
China-Iran alliance
As for China, Prof. Salami said the port may be a piece of cake for China, but its presence in Lebanon “could strengthen Beijing’s alliance with Tehran (……) The Chinese are also a major player in the region, curbing Western influence in the region. Iran and its ally Lebanon’s Hezbollah play a leading role in both Syria and Lebanon.
A recent note by the Washington Institute, a Middle East foreign policy think tank, insists that the United States needs to “work closely” with Berlin and Paris on the Beirut port to thwart Chinese ambitions.
David Schenker, a former U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, warned against letting China win the bid. Beijing’s aversion to transparency and its ambiguous attitude toward Hezbollah make a Chinese role in Beirut’s reconstruction the worst possible scenario,” he wrote.
Two major obstacles
However, the reconstruction of Beirut’s port faces two major obstacles, one being the fact that Lebanon has been in a deep political and economic crisis for more than a year and the country is completely paralyzed after the Beirut port explosion. How can these projects be realized under such circumstances.
No progress will be made in any case until a new government is formed, which has been stalled since last August against a backdrop of endless political bargaining.
Another obstacle: both the German and French projects are conditional on transparency and reform, while the Lebanese political class is accused of corruption.
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