Another day another bombing; an all to common story in Lebanon these days. So, is Lebanon on the brink? The easy answer, yes. The more complicated one? Well, the Lebanese are very resilient people, akin to a phoenix that rises from the ashes, only to burn up in flames again.
With the proliferation of attacks over the last year --- car bombings, political assassinations, suicide attacks and the never-ending cycle of violence in the streets of the Northern city of Tripoli --- the flimsy barriers that have spared the country from total chaos, weaken by the day. Similarly, al-Qaeda appears to be extending its reach into Lebanon (the ISIS, the Abdullah Azzam Brigade, and the al-Nusra Front). Combine this with the fact that for the last nine months Lebanon has been in political limbo, operating without a functioning cabinet, it seems only a matter of time before the floodgates open, leading to greater civil unrest.
The Government Problem:
The ongoing crisis in Syria is in many ways to blame for the problems facing Lebanon, but it is certainly not the cause of them. For decades Lebanon has been headed down this road. The recently deceased Muhammad Chatah, two weeks before his assassination, said it well: “We lurch from crisis to crisis, with superficial calms in between.”
Since the end of Lebanon’s brutal 15 year civil war (1975-1990) tensions have festered amongst the country’s complex religious sects – Sunni’s, Shia’s, Christians and Druze– each vying for power with the help of their chauvinistic political parties. More recently, the country has become more polarized with lines being drawn primarily along the Sunni – Shia faultline, a cause for great concern. On the one side you have an alliance of Sunni and Christian factions that ba...
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... specifically targeted the Shia community. Al-Nusra Front leader Mohammed al-jawlani recently declared that his group is active in Lebanon to help Sunnis of the country face the “injustice” of Hezbollah.
Another major issue stemming from the Syrian revolution is the ensuing refugee crisis. Thousands of civilians have poured across the borders into Lebanon. Some 500,000 refugees have registered with the United Nations (this number is greater when you count those not officially registered), which is more than 10 percent of Lebanon’s population. Lebanon is ill equipped to handle such an influx of people, especially since the state is already incapable of providing basic services to its own citizens in the best of times. At the same time, a small country of this nature is vulnerable to external shocks, which can cause significant damage to an already shaky economy.
Samii, Abbas William. "The Shah's Lebanon policy: the role of SAVAK." Middle Eastern Studies 33.1 (1997): 66+. World History in Context. Web. 19 May 2014.
This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl...
Maoz, Moshe. Syria Under Assad (RLE Syria) Domestic Constraints and Regional Risks.. Hoboke, New Jersey: Taylor and Francis, 2013. eBook.
The Syrian fate in the next few months and maybe years will be in the hands of big powers like U.S. and Russia that have yet to decide on a peaceful attempt that can, not end the war, but give the Syrian people who primarily need extensive humanitarian and economic assistance, a ray of hope, “as the longer battle begins to build a viable and democratic post-Assad Syria at peace with the region and the world.” (Boot, 2012)
It has been said that, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. When examining organizations that make this statement true, it’s hard to ignore Hezbollah. Hezbollah, also known as Hizbullah, or Hizballah, is a Shi'a Islamic militant group and political party established and residing in Lebanon.
Kotecha, S. (2013, November 25). BBC News - Lebanon's gay-friendly reputation challenged by abuses. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25057067
If philosophy takes part in any position in the world, it is the judgement of our action in which rectify our fault (Arneson, n.d). Lebanon or Lebanese Republic is the country located in the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea (CIA, 2013). The country is surrounded by two belligerent neighbors which are Israel and Syria. Many of the events in Lebanon result in the country having a strained relationship with its neighbors. In addition, in terms of economic problems, Lebanon also has been facing numerous problems due to investment, banking, lower GDP, tourist and agricultural sectors. Some believe that Lebanon will overcome these problems in the future. However, the crisis in Lebanon regarding the hostile relations with neighbouring countries results in the occurrence of poor living standard since this initial situation vastly pervade to inevitable economic crisis in Lebanon.
Andersen, Roy, Robert F. Seibert, and Jon G. Wagner. Politics and change in the Middle East: sources of conflict and accommodation. 9th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Print.
Severe fighting between extremist groups has led to hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the area in search of a safe haven from the impending Civil War. Citizens live in fear of lack of humanitarian aid and well as an environmental crises as the fighting becomes worse every day. As the mood across the country becomes more desperate, grocery store aisles are being emptied, water and electricity is in short supply, and fuel appears to be unattainable. Students in the outlying areas of Tripoli are also facing the bleak realization that they may not be able to return to school in September. Without intervention from NATO forces, the threat of Libya turning into a failed state is imminent. Libyan citizens will be forced to relocate to neighboring countries in order to seek refuge and build a prosperous life. ASL poses as big of a threat as the political reconstruction itself, as the terrorist organization appears to be the face and forefront of the fighting in both Tripoli and Benghazi. ASL has rejected democracy within Libya and has objectively sought tactics of irregular warfare in order to hinder a peaceful transition process and declare an Islamic emirate. ASL employs tactics such as kidnappings, bombings, and intimidation tactics of Libyan Government officials in order to have them bend to the extremists movements will. The group has also made attempts to win over the hearts and minds of the Libyan people by providing limited security services and humanitarian aid to those in need. There is also wide speculation of the group running terrorist training camps within Libya to facilitate the need for fighters in the area . Elimination of ASL within Libya would be giving the government a chance to succeed at developing a solid democratic platform in which to build their country. Eliminating ASL within the region would likely mean NATO and US
The first twenty-five years of Syrian independence was filled with extreme political instability and p...
Over the last three years, Lebanon has experienced a period of social turmoil and sectarian tensions (Preston, 2014). Since the civil War broke out in Syrian in the year 2011, Lebanon has had its great share of the skirmishes. The Syrian war has lead to a split between Shiites who throws their support behind the Syria government led by Assad and Sunni Muslims who renders their support to the Syrian rebels. This turmoil has lead to un...
Every city, country, territory or nation has its own pride and joy that distinguishes it from any other, which forms it uniqueness and gives it long lasting recognition and a remarkable reputation. France has the Eifel tower and its reputation for being the country of romance. Brazil has its festivals and soccer skills. Varna has its clubs and pubs and amazing nights, but with all that said, what does Lebanon pertain? Lebanon has long been known and envied for its water. Other than being located on a marvelous landscape, the water in Lebanon is valued by all its citizens and is considered a national treasure and wealth. We are then forced to pose the following problematic, how would things have been if not for Lebanon’s water supply and such? The water serves as a rational and intrinsic supply material in Lebanon, as well as proving to be a great means and importance for tourism when it comes to its shores and seas, for which without it Lebanon would fall into discord and turmoil.
Before starting the analysis of a scenario suggesting the raising of the minimum wage in Lebanon, I would like to give an overview about the stages the Lebanese economy has gone through in the last few decades.
Syrian intervention was the saver for Lebanon from the war. Lebanese civil war was bloody war and complex conflict, which lasted for more than 16 years and 7 months in Lebanon (April 13, 1975 - Oct 13 1990). Additionally, the roots of the conflicts, comes from the political compromises in the French mandate time over Lebanon and Syria. It returned to appear because of population (demographic) change in Lebanon and the Islamic- Christian religious conflict, as well as rapprochement between Syria and Israel. There was brief stop to fighting in 1976 for the Arab summit and then returned to complete the civil conflict . South of Lebanon was the center mainly, and it was dominated at the beginning by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and then Israel occupation. The war ended with the deployment of the Syrian army, which was approved, by the Lebanese government, the Arab summit and the international community . Researches say that, The Syrian intervention may saved Lebanon from the war but it damaged it economy.
Lebanon is small country with an Arab culture base, located in the Middle East. Lebanon has many characteristics in terms of its environment, history, and diverse population. Diversity is one of the key elements that characterize Lebanon among its neighbor countries and it is the only Arabic country that has a Christian President as stated by its constitution. Lebanon has been known for being the “Crossroads of civilizations” for its diverse historical inhabitants. Moreover, it is also known for the “Ground of Islamic- Christian dialogue” due it’s the religious diversity where it consists of two main religions (Muslims and Christians) with almost seventeen sects.