Neolib Vultures Perch Over Lebanon

Kurt Nimmo

It is a classic case of adding insult to injury—or maybe usury and theft to injury. "Upcoming donor meetings to raise funds for rebuilding war-damaged Lebanon could be an opening for Western lenders to look for fresh commitments from Beirut to resume politically difficult economic reforms," reports Reuters. "Western lenders are signaling they are willing to help with overall economic support if Lebanon agrees to adopt reforms, possibly seeking an International Monetary Fund program as a signal of its commitment to reform and to frame how donor money could be best used." Of course, we know what "reforms" mean in the context of IMF and World Bank "help," the latter now headed up by the neocon Paul Wolfowitz—it means Structural Adjustment Policies, of SAPs, requiring nations to reduce spending on things such as health care, education, and other social programs in order to ensure debt repayment and economic restructuring...

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