Middle East Summit
Rise of Regional Unrest
Lebanon’s history is rigged with warfare, both internal and external. During the 20th century, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the mandate under the French, Lebanon gained her independence in 1943 (even though French troops withdrew in 1946). Following her sovereignty, Lebanon acquired a unique governmental system, which is a parliamentary democracy with a few twists. The sectarian divide runs deep throughout the country and is strongly apparent in its political, social, communal, economic, and local levels. The civil war that tragically enveloped the country from 1975-1990 doomed Lebanon to a future of opposition and bloodshed. The sectarian division within the state is preventing the country from uniting under one government, which is then limited in its success in both democratic and security policies.
The concepts of prosperity and peace have not been long lasting in Lebanon. The foreign powers that tried to solve the crisis of Lebanon have been discredited and ashamed, including: PLO, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Israel, America, France, and Italy. These intrusions, though hopeful, have only aided the dire state of affairs in the country by arming the population, destroying infrastructure, and eventually attempting to inject a torn country’s politics with democracy. The current configuration of government bureaucracy attempts to avoid sectarian conflicts by representing all 17 of the religious groups present in the country. The higher positions in government are always awarded to the Maronites, Sunni, and Shi’a. This sectarian division of power within a “democratic” government makes the process of decision-making nearly impossible. Instead of distributing power proportionally, some groups are intentionally underrepresented while others are given a political weight that exceeds their demographic proportion.
Sectarianism is dividing politics, which is leading to economic and regional disparities. As shown by the March 8 and March 14 alliances, politics do not adhere to a process of democracy, but rather one of protests, threats, corruption, and show of power. The fear of a foreign power instigating another civil war is ever-present and clashes between different sects are inevitable. The military capability of Hezbollah is posing many strains on a consensus in government, and stability within the country.
This divide seen all over the Middle East but highlighted in Lebanon is more than just a political divide. The different sectarian groups, divided predominantly by religion and ethnicity, have created social and economic divides as well. In countries like Lebanon, there are over seventeen ethnic sectarian groups. Because each group has its own culture and ultimately identifies with its individual group over its national government, it is very difficult to establish an efficient government to cover so many different groups. The ultimate schism in Lebanon is seen from the divergence of two conflicting ideologies: the Western French Christians and all the other groups, including the Druze, Palestinians, Maronites, and almost all other Muslim ethnic groups who identify with the greater Arab world. The divide between these groups has led to a civil war in Lebanon caused by questions over who should be in power and which ethnic group should dominate the country’s political and socio-economic scene.
As time went on, the different Arab sectarian groups began to find unity and identify with each other as Arabs. This change from identifying themselves as different ethnic groups to parts of a larger Arabic group united the struggling sectarian groups. Through the means of unity, these groups were able to find common motives and work to achieve goals that would otherwise be unlikely. Palestinians in Jordan ultimately identified with the other Arabs and the Syrians. The Western and French Christians in Lebanon, identifying with the non-Arab Western world, found difficulty in coexisting with this other ethnic group. This divide in Lebanon was the cause of a civil war.
The Lebanese Civil War and the general trend that it followed led to the massive exile and migration of the Palestinian people that have caused conflict in Israel. The government of Jordan, believing the Palestinians to be Syrian-identifying sectarian instigators of violence, forced them out of the country, leaving them without a site of refuge. After fleeing to the south of Lebanon and finding refuge there, the Palestinians launched attacks against Israel. It is there that the Palestinian movement grew under such leadership as Yasser Arafat.
Another problem that has arisen from the growth of sectarian groups is a rise of terrorism. Groups like Hezbollah, a shi’a Islamic political group in Lebanon, have threatened the stability of countries in the region. Though dominated by shi’a Muslims, Hezbollah has, as of very recently, received growing support from the minority ethnic groups like Druze, Sunni, and Christians. Initially seeming to be a threat to public safety, the groups that were not represented by Hezbollah initially resented its prominence and existence. However, after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 2006, Lebanon gained more national support across the board. About 80% of the Druze, Sunni, and Christians had a favorable view right of Hezbollah right after the invasion. This has allowed Hezbollah to increase its capabilities and momentum. Hezbollah’s motives are, to some, questionable. As active opponents of Israel, leaders of Hezbollah are seen by many as terrorists. This disparity between political parties and terrorist organizations, as well as growing support for sectarian organizations, threaten the very existence of countries like Israel that are constantly under fire from its neighbors.
The rise of sectarianism has undermined any efforts to stabilize and peacefully establish cooperation between countries. Different ethnic groups are on the rise and diverging from their national governments and majority ethnic groups, creating tensions seen when a seemingly inseparable constituency of a nation decides to rebel. It has reduced the credibility and efficiency of governments that are divided between many groups, each with different motives. Umbrella governments that supposedly represent all the different sectarian factions are becoming increasingly rare and ineffective, as they are stretched too thin in representing too much diversity and too many different factions. On the other hand, the unity between sectarian groups has also threatened the region, as all of their questionable motives that were unrealistic when they were just another radical group have become rational and very possible, as the amalgam of the groups has a direct and stated motive. There must be a balance struck between how to minimize the disparities between the sectarian groups and reduce tensions, and how to disable overly powerful combinations of these groups that seek to destroy other whole countries. What this balance consists of, however, is something we have yet to figure out.