Ethiopian Airlines Crash, Mabhouh Assassination Related

There is a common element between the Ethiopian Airlines crash off the coast of Beirut and Mahmoud al Mabhouh’s assassination in Dubai. In both cases evidence is publicly revealed offering proof of what actually occurred.

As Joshua Hersh notes, Lebanese media and politicians responded to the Ethiopian Airlines disaster with usual hysteria, accusations, and wild speculation. The retrieval of the airliner black boxes from the ocean floor and the analysis of the data now puts to rest many of the more ludicrous theories about why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

Unlike most major crimes and disasters in Lebanon, with regard to the Ethiopian Airlines crash, the public can put aside the usual political squabbling and place their trust in black box technology and investigative competence.

As Michael Young argues, the Lebanese state must be capable of investigating crises. The Lebanese government called upon a team of international investigators who succeeded in finding the black boxes, wreckage, and remains in stormy waters. However, the Lebanese government should have the competence and capacity to do this itself, thus allowing citizens to trust their government and justifying the taxes spent on the public bureaucracy.