Rohan Talbot is a freelance writer on psychology and political violence, formerly working for an NGO in the Palestinian refugee camps of North Lebanon.
Lebanon’s infrastructure has been damaged by repeated conflict, with the country even now still reeling from the destruction of civilian infrastructure (including power and water plants and transport infrastructure) by Israel in the 2006 war.
Despite containing both vehement (and often armed) supporters and opponents of Assad, Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps have stayed largely free of the turmoil affecting some Lebanese communities.
A series of potentially incendiary events have brought new headlines, blog posts, status updates and tweets proclaiming that Lebanon is slipping into Syria’s war.
A more important root to the current violence is the poverty blighting these communities. It is no secret that Tripoli is neglected in terms of investment, education, public services and employment.
News channels are currently filled with images of death and destruction from Homs, with estimates that more than 9,000 civilians have died in Syria so far.