After conflict, how do people manage to survive?

When the state is either incapable or unwilling to provide basic welfare for its citizens, who steps in? As the social infrastructure of Middle Eastern and North African countries lie in ruins, understanding why charities, political parties and for-profit actors is critical in rebuilding them.

Two_Syrian_women_wait_to_collect_a_prescription_at_a_health_clinic_in_Lebanons_Bekaa_Valley_(11174124425).jpg

Two Syrian women wait to collect a prescription at a health clinic in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development

This interview is part of the series 'Development in the Face of Global Inequalities'. You can find out more about the series, read its articles and explore the interactive roundtables by clicking here.

On 21 March, 2003, the US-led coalition’s air raids destroyed high voltage lines and knocked out electrical power in Basra, Iraq. As a result, the Wafa’ Qaed Water Pumping Station, drawing water from the nearby Shatt al-Arab river, was unable to operate, leaving some 900,000 Iraqis without piped water. The coalition targeted power and water supply infrastructure in other cities, during their assault on the country. For a country already left fragile following years of economic sanctions, this destruction of essential infrastructure left much of the population helpless, and their right to basic well-being confiscated.