0:00 Family Name & Intro 2:26 Personal Interaction with the Story 8:30 Alleviating Minority Concerns 12:16 Part of the Story 16:11 Fundamental Issue 19:08 Corruption 24:46 A System that Doesn't Work 28:10 Perpetual Paralysis 31:27 Mentality 37:46 US Policy Shift 39:30 American Engagement 48:56 Lack of Organization 54:30 Balance

We're with Larissa Aoun for Episode 222 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch: https://youtu.be/aYbCNZlLguA

We discuss covering the US elections vs the current Lebanese political and economic landscape, and a reporter's personal interaction with the story itself.

We talk about attempts at alleviating state rights through the US Electoral College and Senate and whether there's an appropriate comparison to preserving 'minority' / sectarian concerns within a potential Lebanese senate.

Our conversation includes Larissa's reporting on maritime border issues with nostalgia for a regional rail network still visible from Naqoura. We also discuss rampant corruption within Lebanon, possible US policy shifts under a Biden administration and how journalists keep their balance while covering stories that hit home.

Larissa Aoun is a producer / reporter for Sky News Arabia.

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Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.