Lebanon at the Crossroads

This chapter describes the complexities of Lebanon’s historical, political, and socio-economic landscape. Situated on the eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon is a unique parliamentary democracy that is nonetheless riven by long-standing sectarianism, where national government must take into account the interests of 18 religious sects, including Muslims and Christians, which cut across ethnic and cultural lines. Consequently, Lebanon is a nation exhibiting both cultural richness and communal conflict. The country’s borders, shared with Israel and Syria, have historically been sources of tension and violence, exacerbating its struggles for national identity and governance. Despite its ancient heritage as a commercial hub and its reputation as the “Switzerland of the East” during the 1950s and 1960s, Lebanon has encountered significant challenges, including a brutal civil war in the 1970s that formally ended in 1989, political instability, and economic decline brought about by huge debt-creating policies during the rebuilding of the 1990s and 2000s. The emergence of armed militias, external influences from regional powers, and the influx of thousands of refugees from Palestine and Syria further complicated the nation’s socio-political fabric and effectiveness of government. Additionally, the impact of disastrous neoliberal economic policies and the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing socio-economic disparities, culminating in widespread protests against the ruling elites in October 2019.