A Breakdown in Government Wafts Uphill

-          Local village downwind from Lebanon’s largest landfill is commonly filled with coughs, infections, and concerns of cancer

-          Mr. Ayyash and other residents blocked the road to the Naimeh landfill shutting down garbage collection in much of Lebanon causing trash to pile up in the fancies neighborhoods in the capital

-          The government resigned ten months ago, and Parliament has scarcely convened, no major laws have been passed the caretaker cabinet has lacked the political clout to set any important policies

-          Party leaders act as political bosses for their communities dispensing jobs and patronage while striking deals with other leaders to serve their common interests.

-          The formation of government in Lebanon is less significant than it is in other societies

-          The lack of an oppressive police state exempted Lebanon from an Arab Spring uprising and makes it a fertile environment for entrepreneurs, thinkers, and artists

-          Fails to provide services considered standard in other countries, leaving citizens to fend for themselves

-          People must buy filtered water and generators to sustain themselves

-          The landfill was created in 1997 as a temporary measure

-          The most powerful politician in the area promised the dump will close next year

-          Nearby residents have threatened to protest again if the landfill is not closed