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Lebanon's Democracy: Prospects and Pitfalls

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Lebanon's Democracy: Prospects and Pitfalls Durham E-Theses Lebanon's Democracy: Prospects and Pitfalls EL-AMIN, MOHAMAD,HADI How to cite: EL-AMIN, MOHAMAD,HADI (2012) Lebanon's Democracy: Prospects and Pitfalls, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3463/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Lebanon’s Democracy: Prospects and Pitfalls By: Hadi El Amine A thesis presented in candidature for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Durham The Faculty of Social Sciences The School of Government and International Affairs October 2011 I Declaration I, the writer of this research study, confirm that no part of the material presented in this study has previously been submitted by me for a degree in this or any University. I also declare that all the work presented in this thesis was carried out by the candidate. ….……………………................ Dr. Christopher Davidson Supervisor …………………………………. Hadi El Amine Candidate ============================================================ Copyright © “The copyright of this research study rests with the writer. No quotations from it should be published without Hadi El Amine’s prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged.” II DEDICATION To my Father and Mother with love ... as promised. I ACKNOWLEGMENTS It would have by no means been possible to carry out the sheer volume and depth of this doctoral research had it not been for the support of so many people. First and foremost, I owe my deepest gratitude to my Ph.D. 1st supervisor, Dr. Christopher Davidson who has been the ideal doctoral thesis supervisor. His sage advice, thoughtful criticisms, and sincere encouragement have benefited the writing of this doctoral thesis in innumerable ways. Throughout my doctoral thesis-writing period, he provided encouragement, sound advice and thoughtful ideas. Without his steadfast support throughout the years, I would have been lost. I would also like to express my gratitude to my 2nd supervisor, Prof Anoush Ehteshami, for his invaluable supervision over the years. I would also like to thank the Lebanese officials whom I contacted for research interviews. The insightful discussions during the interviews helped immensely in shaping several of the thesis features. My dear friends, I thank them endlessly for their steadfast support and unwavering encouragement that has been greatly needed and deeply appreciated. Lastly, I am heartily grateful to my family for their unflagging love and endless support throughout my life. I am indebted forever to them for their boundless care and transcendent love. I ABSTRACT In Lebanon, there is a common understanding and belief among many politicians and citizens, in equal measure, that Lebanon is a democratic country. This belief is not only restricted to those inside Lebanon, but also to be found in neighbouring Arab countries and among their people. In other words, Lebanon is believed to be a country that enjoys a relatively democratic political system, rule of law, and a vibrant civil society, compared to the rest of the region. However, this is for the most part a misunderstanding, and originates from most Lebanese people’s view that a modest level of freedom should be considered democracy, and that a relatively unconstrained civil society means an effective civil society. The main purpose of this thesis is to analyse Lebanon’s political system and establish a clearer picture about whether the democratic claim is real or just an illusion. In order to build this picture, I have concentrated on the internal and external obstacles that have impeded the evolution of the Lebanese political system. The first part of the thesis discusses whether or not the Lebanese political system shares any of the features of functioning democratic political systems and whether or not it is running in a modus which reflects democratic values. In later chapters, the thesis moves on to examine the internal and external factors that have hindered the state from becoming a sovereign, authoritative state and thus without the necessary foundations for becoming a democratic state. The study will demonstrate that Lebanon suffers from the domination of a militant organisation within its borders which violates the country’s sovereignty and disrupts the government and its institutions from functioning properly and being authoritative. Moreover, it will reveal that most citizens - a key element in any democracy - continue to feel subjugated, unable to make their voices heard, and without a say in the decision making process. II Moreover, it will be demonstrated that Lebanon suffers from several problems. Firstly and most importantly, it suffers from the lack of an effective state that imposes the rule of law on all of Lebanon’s territory. Secondly and equally important, Lebanon suffers from missing a major component that constitutes an essential pillar for the state, and that is sovereignty. Thirdly, election results are not taken into consideration as the public’s electoral choices are not respected, while instead powerful elite continues to rule the country illegally. These impediments and many others lead the study to conclude that the Lebanese political system currently remains far from being considered a democracy. III Table of Contents 1. Chapter One ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Aims and Objectives ............................................................................. 2 1.2.1 Research Aims .............................................................................................................. 2 1.2.2 Research Objectives ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1 Research Resources....................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1.1 Primary Resources ................................................................................................ 4 1.3.1.1.1 Interviews ............................................................................................ 4 1.3.1.1.1.1 Semi-Structured Interviews ..................................................................... 4 (a). The Sample ..................................................................................................... 4 (b). Interview Procedures ...................................................................................... 4 (c).Constraints ....................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1.2 Secondary Resources ............................................................................................ 5 1.3.1.2.1 Books ................................................................................................... 5 1.3.1.2.2 Journals and Papers ............................................................................. 5 1.4 Structure of the Thesis .......................................................................................... 5 1.5 Part One: Overview and Literature Review ...................................................... 7 1.5.1 Democracy and Political Culture .................................................................................. 7 1.5.2 The Culture of the Arab World, Islam, and Democracy ............................................. 10 1.5.3 Democracy and Democratization Process in the Arab World after 9/11 .................... 14 1.5.4 Lebanon: A Political Overview ................................................................................... 19 1.5.4.1 From Pre-Independence, to the Pre-Taif Agreement .......................................... 19 1.5.4.2 From the post-Taif Accord, up to Hezbollah occupation of Beirut .................... 24 1.5.5 Democracy in Lebanon ............................................................................................... 29 1.5.5.1 Democracy during the Pre-Independence Era? ................................................... 29 1.5.5.2 Post-Independence Era ........................................................................................ 30 2. Chapter Two: Theoretical Framework ................................................................... 33 I 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 33 2.2 Studies on Democracy and Democratization: A Historical Background ....... 33 2.2.1 Definitions ..................................................................................................................
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