This week Jon is joined by Nora Boustany, an award-winning former correspondent and a professor at the American University of Beirut. She draws on her own experiences living in Lebanon during and after the Civil War to provide perspective on Lebanon's current collapse. Then, Natasha and Jon are joined by the Middle East Program's new program manager and research associate, Danny Sharp, to discuss the impact of sectarianism on life in Lebanon.

Natasha Hall, "Lebanon's political bosses are the real problem," The Hill, August 16, 2020.

Jon Alterman, "Why the U.S. and Its Allies Should Keep Lebanon from Blowing Apart," The Hill, August 6, 2020.

Jon Alterman, "Sectarianism in Lebanon," Babel: Translating the Middle East, CSIS, March 10, 2020.

Nora Boustany, "Devalued Currency Terrorizes Beirut," Los Angeles Times, November 29, 1987.

Transcript, "Lebanon's Latest Explosion," CSIS, August 25, 2020.