Change; an act or process through which something becomes different.

Change is when cavemen learned how to use fire. When empires were torn down to make space for new ones. When the leaves on the tree change from green to orange, brown, or yellow. Change is natural, if not necessary to keep up with the progression of life. In the last couple years alone, the world witnessed many events that uprooted our sense of normalcy, and replaced it with new norms better fitting for the times. 

Just like any other country, Lebanon has changed a lot over the past few decades. Many of these changes were expected, and some were not so expected – as we take into consideration the different historical and political factors involved. 

This issue of Al Rawiya explores the different changes Lebanon has experienced, with a focus on how major events such as the economic crisis, the Beirut blast, shifting global political dynamics and long-standing norms in our society have affected the current state of things. 

How have decades of corruption affected the functionality of public institutions in Lebanon? Does the economic crisis that Lebanon is currently experiencing today remind older generations of their experiences with the civil war? What is so special about Beirut’s old buildings amidst a period of architectural modernization? Join us as we try to answer these questions and more.