Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Lebanon Faces Brain Drain in Wake of Beirut Disaster Lisa Schlein GENEVA - Lebanon was in dire straits before last week's blast in Beirut that shredded the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. The country is in meltdown as it struggles to survive an economic and political crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 health crisis. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus. Heiko Wimmen heads the Iraq, Syria, Lebanon project for the International Crisis Group. He said the Lebanese state has been hollowed out by decades of corruption and patronage, and this has undermined due process and any sense of accountability. .