Amidst Lebanon’s economic crisis, merchants’ greed strikes again - How to stop their unlawful practices, from a historical and legal point of view

Analysis by Zeina Dagher, Featured Writer

In the Lebanon of 2021, it’s almost impossible to go a day without hearing people cursing the politicians’ corruption and greed, that led this country to its downfall. However, it sadly appears that citizens have also taken on their leaders’ example, ruthlessly exploiting each other in these dire times: corruption reaches the leader and the citizen equally. Yes, you guessed it, we’re talking about the merciless merchant greed that has been crippling the country for almost a year now. The unlawful practices that merchants and dealers have been using to profit off this country’s misery, like food monopolization and price manipulation, have left the people in interminable queues and with empty stomachs, pouring their last shred of dignity into buying the bare essentials to survive with their families. But in a country that supposedly abides by the rule of law, how are such practices, that violate the people’s most basic rights, so widely permitted?