Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Wednesday, June 25, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»Magazine»Listicles
    BBC | TRT World
    6 Mins Read

    14 Things That Did Not Change In Lebanon In Over A Decade

    By Souad LazkaniMay 12, 2021Updated:September 21, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    Sometimes it feels like the whole world is moving while Lebanon is frozen in time. Life moves forwards, yet Lebanon might even be going backward.

    Many still want to believe that it is due to the civil war, which took Lebanon from its former glory as a tourist-attracting “Switzerland of the Middle East” to a war-torn country. Yet, that war ended 3 decades ago.

    Much if not most were rebuilt since then and new constructions were erected, some quite fancy and trendy.

    New inventions and creativities were birthed and progress is relevant in many aspects, as hope never dies in the heart of the Lebanese nation.

    S&P Dow Jones Is Considering Removing Lebanese Stocks From Its Index As Soon As Next Month
    Solidere

    However, some critical aspects of Lebanon haven’t changed a bit despite – or because of – the political expertise gained by those being in charge for too long.

    Lebanon, though, remains a country of goodness and beauty, mainly because of its natural environment and its people.

    Both the good and the bad, here are some things that did not change in Lebanon in over a decade.

    #1 Listening to Fairouz in the morning

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by robi (@rouba_baarini_)

    Radio stations across the country play Fairouz‘s music every single morning. Her music can be heard on bus rides, taxis, coffee shops, some boutiques, and more. She’s a national treasure.

    #2 The love for manoush

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Yummy Lebanon Official (@yummylebanon)

    While the economic crisis pretty much quadrupled the price of simple Lebanese flatbread, our love for this staple can never be discarded. It’s part of the Lebanese cultural identity.

    #3 Driving on a bumpy and crowded highway

    Arab News

    The poor transportation system is something that surely hasn’t changed nor improved. Instead, traffic is getting worse.

    Frustratingly enough, Lebanon persists in issuing every year its expense report on its railway that stopped operating decades ago.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Carlos Naffah (@carlosnaffah)

    The 2020 official report of the state budget for a railway system that doesn’t exist was 16,000,000,000 LBP!

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Elena Habre (@elena.habre)

    #4 Same political faces for decades

    Al-Arabiya

    Same faces for decades. Certain ruling politicians have not been changed in decades or have remained in the political scene since the days of the civil war.

    #5 Needing/using ‘wasta’

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Taboo Traditions (@tabootraditions)

    Wasta (favoritism, nepotism) was long regarded as the key to everything.

    Need a job? Wasta.

    Need to get into a good school? Wasta.

    Need to get into a good room at the hospital at a regular price? Wasta.

    It kept people silent against corrupt politicians.

    Today, people have begun calling out the ‘wasta’ culture, but it still exists and is very deeply embedded into the Lebanese mentality. It’s such a part of Lebanon that even CNN used it.

    #6 Laws that lost the principle of every law to serve and protect

    Naharnet

    While the first school of law in the world is said to have been established in Beirut, Lebanon has not done much to evolve what it has implemented of Ottoman and Napoleon’s laws in its system.

    Turkey and France have long changed theirs to justly serve their citizens while Lebanon is still holding tight to these outdated ones as if its life depends on them.

    Religion institutions around the world have also evolved their laws to be fair and just to women and children. Not in Lebanon though where religious courts continue to apply discriminatory laws that victimize mothers and their kids and only create suffering and afflictions.

    #7 Electricity cuts

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Omar Boustany (@homardleomar)

    In 2021, Lebanon pathetically has to rely on noisy and environmentally damaging backup electricity generators because the state cannot provide 24-hour electricity despite what the ministry promised a decade ago. Not to mention the ugly electricity wires across buildings.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by @lebanese.highway.to.hell

    Right now, Lebanon is threatened with a whole new electricity crisis that will prolong the state electricity cuts.

    #8 Waiting for water to heat

    In Lebanon, having immediate access to hot water is still a struggle. It also requires electricity which, as mentioned above, is not reliable.

    #9 Sectarian politics

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Sam A. Jaoude (@sjaoude)

    For decades, sectarian politics have endeavored to divide the nation by infusing the communities with an unreasonable fear of each other.

    However, during its thousands of years of existence, the Lebanese nation had very rare internal religious wars, and those were fueled by political leaders.

    Other than that, Lebanon’s peaceful co-existence remains an enduring fact. Some politicians in the country seem to think that the people don’t know that.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by ? What’s Up Lebanon ? (@whatsuplebanon)

    Luckily, the nation has awakened, as proven by the ongoing Lebanese Revolution, and refuses to be manipulated for the sole gain of their politicians. A major part of the nation is now demanding to bring an end to sectarian politics and divisions.

    #10 Nonsecular politics

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by anti_secterianism_lebanon (@anti_secterianism_lebanon)

    Religion in Lebanon’s politics is arguably one of the biggest dividing factors when it comes to governing a nation with people of different faiths. The people of the revolution are urging for the formation of a secular state like all progressive countries in the world.

    #11 Poor waste management

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Change4leb (@change4leb)

    Within the last decade, Lebanon has fallen from one waste crisis to another. In the humid summers, the awful smell in Beirut serves as a reminder of the poor waste management in Lebanon. However, some people are starting to encourage recycling and reducing waste.

    #12 Roads flooding in rainy seasons

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by 𝔻𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕕 𝕕𝕖 ℤ𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕕𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕜𝕪 (@dezabedrosky)

    A never-ending winter problem that officials can’t seem to know how to fix…

    #13 The Mercedes taxi

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Kamel Ismail (@kamisma)

    Lebanon’s taxi or “service” drivers roll along in their clunky old 1980 Mercedes-Benz beeping their horns near passersby to see if they need a lift.

    Despite new services such as Uber and Careem, these feisty traditional taxi drivers continue to fill the streets. But somehow, they’re never around when you actually do need a lift!

    #14 Corruption

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by لبنان الحلم (@lebanon_the_dream)

    Rulers come and go (some just stay forever) and their pledges to end corruption for over a decade have remained words no one believes in anymore.

    Not only corruption is still there and has further expanded into multiple crises but some are so boldly done publicly that one gets to wonder if the rulers know what corruption really means.

    From the railways’ budget to the electricity and the smuggling to Syria and the list goes on and on…

    Economic Crisis Lebanese Revolution (Thawra)
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    Low-Cost Lebanese Airline 961

    We Might Finally Be Getting A Low-Cost Lebanese Airline – Here’s What We Know

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    lebanese beer brands almaza beirut beer 961

    Lebanese Beer Brands Are Publicly Throwing Shade, And It’s Getting Frothy

    lufthansa beirut 961

    You Can Now Fly To Beirut Again On Lufthansa & Swiss Airlines

    saint levant aub outdoors 2025 961

    Saint Levant Is Officially Headlining AUB Outdoors 2025!

    nada koussa miss world miss lebanon 961

    Nada Koussa Just Left To Represent Lebanon At Miss World

    Low-Cost Lebanese Airline 961

    We Might Finally Be Getting A Low-Cost Lebanese Airline – Here’s What We Know

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    June 8, 2025
    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For The World

    December 31, 2024

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019
    whish pay lebanon 961

    You Can Now Use Whish Pay At Shopify Stores

    June 13, 2025
    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For Lebanon

    December 31, 2024

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019
    Michel Hayek

    Michel Hayek 2025: Predictions For The Middle East

    December 31, 2024

    The WWE Wrestling Icon You Probably Didn’t Know Is Lebanese

    May 3, 2024

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Okay