Sectarianism In Lebanon

Abstract

Sectarianism holds hegemonic power over Lebanon that is resistant to challenges of change. Institutional and foreign actors serve to instill and reinforce sectarianism from above while political and economic elites play on sectarian sentiments to maintain and enhance their power, contributing to sectarianism from below. These efforts ensure that the Lebanese subjects remain affiliated with their respective sects, compartmentalized in self-managed communities.

Introduction

Sectarian democracy, the political system adopted by Lebanon, fuses formal and informal sectarian and democratic components. Democracy is manifested in the way power is organized: upholding democratic principles such as the rights of individuals through elections,

This paper will explain the causes of the “stickiness” of sectarianism in post-war Lebanon first, by giving an overview of the Ta’if accords which formed the basis of the government and its consequences in creating sectarian links to society. Then the role of the Syrian intervention in solidifying and using the sectarian system. Next, the role of institutions and the political and economic elites will be considered in setting up a network of patronage encompassing the access and distribution of all resources that is dependent on and enforces sectarianism. Proceeding to the function of civil society in preserving the sectarian system, we find that they utilize the system for their advantage, and in the process, are infiltrated by the elites through clientelism. Finally, protests and other ventures that eliminate or blur sectarian lines will be examined along with their failures and consequences. This paper recognizes the complexities that gender, kinship, ethnicity and class among other factors, add to broader sectarian dynamics complicating relations within and between sects. However, due to the length of the paper, these issues will only be touched on when relevant and otherwise

The accords aimed to establish equality among the sectarian communities, provide a foundation for further constitutional remodeling and encourage a balanced implementation of the amended constitution. However, the agreement reinforces rather than redresses deep cultural divisions among the different groups of the population. The newly formulated power-sharing arrangement enshrined sect as the foundation of political representation and mobilization in post-war Lebanon. The accords promoted a client-patron relationship between the masses and their respective sectarian elites, affirming that access to power and resources can only be reached through sectarian means, producing a weak