And why Lebanon is on the verge of collapse. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion rocked Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. The blast occurred when sparks in a warehouse hit a stockpile of ammonium nitrate — a highly explosive material — that was stored in the city's port. It was one of the largest accidental explosions in history and it couldn't have occurred at a worse time for Lebanon. For the past several years, the country has been sliding into an economic depression and a political crisis. The root causes began during the country's 20-year civil war and extend to the organization of the government, in which control is divided among the country's many religious sects. After years of corruption and negligence, Lebanon's people are now stuck picking up the pieces. Sources and additional reading: New York Times Visual Investigations: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion-footage.html Carnegie Endowment: https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/05/16/unraveling-of-lebanon-s-taif-agreement-limits-of-sect-based-power-sharing-pub-63571 Ahmad Barclay: https://twitter.com/bothness/status/1186967940178071552 The Economist: https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/10/24/a-surge-of-public-anger-sends-lebanons-politicians-reeling Ziad Abu-Rish / Jadaliyya: https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/33377 Triangle: https://www.thinktriangle.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Extend_Pretend_Lebanons_Financial_House_of_Cards_2019.pdf Financial Times: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2019/12/18/1576679115000/Understanding-the-Lebanese-financial-crisis/ Mohamad Bazzi / Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/lebanon/2020-08-14/corrupt-political-class-broke-lebanon Dion Nissenbaum, Nazih Osseiran, Georgi Kantchev and Benoit Faucon / The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/behind-the-beirut-explosion-seven-years-of-official-neglect-11596842032 Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com/. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H