Lebanon as Paradise Lost, a Long Wait for Election Results in November, and More

August 6, 2020

Lebanese and foreigners alike have long nurtured nostalgic images of what Lebanon supposedly represents, but this week’s tragic explosions in Beirut demonstrate again how far those perceptions are from the truth. Jeffrey Feltman writes about the myth of Lebanon as a would-be paradise and why the current government will fail to address the underlying problems that caused the explosions.

“If differences between in-person and absentee results persist and if the networks rush to judgement on election night, they will play right into the hands of conspiracy theorists who will argue that the election was rigged and corrupt.” Elaine Kamarck explains how mail-in and early voting will delay November’s election results and calls for patience on the part of election watchers and the media.

Beginning March 13, the CARES Act paused most federal student loan payments and set interest rates at 0% until September 30, 2020. Despite this, America’s low-income households are falling further behind on their student loan payments. Jason Jabbari, Olga Kondratjeva, Mathieu Despard, and Michal Grinstein-Weiss assess the problem and propose a variety of short- and long-term solutions.

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