Reem Raidan | Staff Writer

The Games Never Ended – Lebanon Turning into Panem

Imagine a society where resources are scarce, survival is a daily challenge, and those on top of the hierarchy/power system are distant from the struggles of the people. This dystopian reality is popularly depicted in The Hunger Games, which is unsettlingly familiar to Lebanon today.

As Lebanon deals with an economic meltdown, political instability, recurring wars, and a corrupt system, citizens find themselves fighting for basic needs, such as electricity, medicine, food, and even dignity. The growing division between the privileged elite and the struggling masses mirrors the Capitol and the districts in the movie’s world.

Youth are presenting the tributes, much like Katniss Everdeen, and are forced to take on burdens beyond their years, seeking work abroad, emigrating, or standing at the front lines of protests demanding change.

A Society on the Brink: Scarcity as a Weapon of Control

In The Hunger Games, the Capitol controls the districts by rationing food, electricity, and basic amenities, keeping the population weak and dependent. The Lebanese pound has lost most of its value since 2019, pushing the vast majority of the population into poverty. In a country where electricity was once stable, entire neighborhoods now plunge into darkness for up to 20 hours a day. Those who can afford it pay an unreasonable fee to a private generator, while the rest sit in the dark. The government spends billions on electricity yearly to no avail while private generators (controlled by elites) profit. The price of a basic grocery basket has increased ten times compared to before the crisis, turning normal things like bread, milk, and eggs into luxuries. Pharmacies have become battlegrounds; insulin, cancer drugs, and even antibiotics are smuggled in and sold illegally while the elderly beg for heart medication and diabetics ration their last doses. Hospitals operate at partial capacity due to medicine shortages.

The Capitol of Lebanon: A Ruling Elite Detached from Reality

In The Hunger Games, President Snow watches from his palace as children fight to the death for his entertainment. In Lebanon, politicians sip champagne in their villas while they watch the country burn. While the majority lost their life savings, bankers and politicians moved their wealth abroad.

Not even ambulances were spared misfortunes as they had to wait in line for fuel for days at a time, sometimes even running out and shutting down mid-emergency. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many of Lebanon’s politicians flew to Europe for treatment while public Lebanese hospitals ran out of oxygen to treat their patients. Today, the same politicians get treated in private clinics while mothers give birth in candlelit delivery rooms.

The Katniss Generation: Youth Trapped in a Fight for Survival

In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen started an act of revolution and was forced into a fight she never chose. Lebanon’s youth face the same cruel dilemma: to leave or to stay and fight a rigged system. Numerous young professionals—doctors, engineers, teachers—have fled the country since 2019. They don’t want to go, but staying means watching their parents starve or their

careers wither. In 2019, the masses flooded the streets demanding change. They were met with bullets and arrests. Some kept protesting, while others gave up, realizing the system was designed to crush them. Those who stay hustle just to survive.

Surviving the Crisis: Practical Strategies for Life in Lebanon’s Collapse

Lebanon’s economic freefall has forced its citizens to adapt in extreme ways. Below are key survival strategies—both immediate and long-term—that many Lebanese have adopted to navigate the crisis. Keeping cash in USD (even in small amounts) to avoid hyperinflation eroding the value of money. Purchasing non-perishables groceries (e.g. rice, canned goods) when prices dip. Growing vegetables in their house (tomatoes, herbs, etc.) on balconies or shared plots. Bypassing inflated supermarket prices by buying straight from local farmers. Installing small solar panels (even using DIY setups) to reduce reliance on generators. Using cars only for emergencies; instead, walking, biking, or carpooling. Running high-power appliances (washing machines, AC) only during municipal electricity hours. Securing extra doses of critical prescription drug when available. Using online doctors to avoid hospital fees. Knowing which NGOs or churches distribute free medical supplies in case of need.

A Nation That Mirrors Fiction

Lebanon is no longer just a country in crisis—it is a real-life dystopia, a warning of when leaders abandon their people, and when survival becomes a daily game with no winners.

The eerie resemblance to The Hunger Games is not accidental. Both stories reveal a universal truth: when the powerful see the masses as disposable, society becomes a battleground.

Lebanon’s crisis demands improvisation, community cooperation, and ruthless pragmatism. Those who adapt—whether by leaving or learning to survive within the chaos—are rewriting the rules of a broken system.

Will you merely endure, or find a way to outlast the game?