Pity the nation?

JUST two days before the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a mushroom cloud briefly reared its head on the shores of Beirut. The devastating explosion that ripped through the Lebanese capital’s port and neighbouring areas last week may have come as a surprise, but the same cannot be said of the explosion of rage that followed. Even Monday’s resignation of the government had been prefigured by ministerial exits in the preceding days. In his resignation speech, prime minister Hassan Diab blamed his country’s latest woes on a level of corruption “bigger than the state”, adding: “Only God knows how many catastrophes they are hiding … May Allah protect Lebanon.” Diab has been...