Lebanon: Background and US Policy
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The New Lebanese Government
The New Lebanese Government Assessment Report by the Lebanese Information Center July 2011 www.licus.org cleared for public release /D1 Nearly five months after his appointment as Prime Minister, Najib Mikati finally formed the Lebanese Cabinet on June 13, 2011. The 30-member cabinet, in which Hezbollah and its allies hold a majority, was formed following arduous negotiations between the new majority, constituted of the March 8 parties, and their allies. The March 14 alliance had announced that it will not take part in the Mikati cabinet following the forced collapse of Hariri’s unity government. Furthermore, appointed Druze Minister of State, Talal Arslan, announced his immediate resignation from the government to protest not being given a portfolio. Despite clearly [and exclusively] representing the Pro-Syrian camp, Prime Minister Mikati announced that his government is “a government for all Lebanese, no matter what party they support, be it the majority or the opposition.” Contents The New Government – Statistics in Brief ..................................................................................................2 Cabinet Members .................................................................................................................................... 2 Composition by Party Affiliation ........................................................................................................... 3 Composition by Coalition ...................................................................................................................... -
Lebanon: Managing the Gathering Storm
LEBANON: MANAGING THE GATHERING STORM Middle East Report N°48 – 5 December 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. A SYSTEM BETWEEN OLD AND NEW.................................................................. 1 A. SETTING THE STAGE: THE ELECTORAL CONTEST..................................................................1 B. THE MEHLIS EFFECT.............................................................................................................5 II. SECTARIANISM AND INTERNATIONALISATION ............................................. 8 A. FROM SYRIAN TUTELAGE TO WESTERN UMBRELLA?............................................................8 B. SHIFTING ALLIANCES..........................................................................................................12 III. THE HIZBOLLAH QUESTION ................................................................................ 16 A. “A NEW PHASE OF CONFRONTATION” ................................................................................17 B. HIZBOLLAH AS THE SHIITE GUARDIAN?..............................................................................19 C. THE PARTY OF GOD TURNS PARTY OF GOVERNMENT.........................................................20 IV. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 22 A. A BROAD INTERNATIONAL COALITION FOR A NARROW AGENDA .......................................22 B. A LEBANESE COURT ON FOREIGN -
Lebanon Unstable and Insecure | the Washington Institute
MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 2266 Lebanon Unstable and Insecure by David Schenker Jun 11, 2014 ABOUT THE AUTHORS David Schenker David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Brief Analysis Military coordination with Hezbollah may be providing a quick fix, but the country's long-term strength can only be achieved with a reconstituted March 14 coalition. uring his June 4 visit to Lebanon, Secretary of State John Kerry encouraged lawmakers to elect a new D president, pledged $51 million to help Beirut host Syrian refugees, and announced that the administration would seek additional funding for Lebanese security forces. "The bottom line," he said, "is that a secure and stable Lebanon is a prerequisite for a secure and stable region." Coming a day after the "reelection" of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and amidst a presidential vacuum in Beirut, Secretary Kerry's visit actually highlighted Lebanon's insecurity and instability. Regrettably, it is unclear if the administration's latest initiatives will do much to prevent a further deterioration. Presidential Vacuum O n May 25, Michel Suleiman completed his six-year term as president and vacated Baabda Palace. In accordance with the Lebanese constitution, the parliament should have elected a new president by that date, but the pro- Western March 14 bloc and the Hezbollah-led pro-Syrian March 8 coalition have been unable to agree on an acceptable candidate. In the absence of consensus, the political blocs have refused to attend parliamentary sessions since the initial balloting on April 23, preventing the quorum necessary for a vote. -
2020 SFCG Conflict Analysis Report
Search for Common Ground’s “Conflict Analysis and Power Dynamics – Lebanon” Study Implemented in Akkar, the North, Mount Lebanon, Central and West Bekaa, Baalbeck-Hermel and Beirut RESEARCH REPORT JULY 2020 Research Team: Bérangère Pineau Soukkarieh, Team Leader Melike Karlidag, Technical Analyst Lizzy Galliver, Researcher Contact: Ramy Barhouche Mohammad Hashisho Project Manager Consortium Monitoring & Reporting Officer Search for Common Ground Search for Common Ground [email protected] [email protected] Research Report | Conflict Analysis and Power Dynamics – Lebanon Table of Contents Acknowledgements 3 Abbreviations 3 List of tables and figures 4 Executive Summary 5 1. Background Information 9 Introduction 9 2. Methodology 11 Research Objectives 11 Data Collection and Analysis 11 Limitations and Challenges 17 3. Findings 19 Structures 19 Actors and Key Stakeholders 35 Dynamics 60 4. Conclusions 75 5. Recommendations 77 6. Appendices 83 Annex 1: Area Profiles 83 Annex 2: Additional Tables on Survey Sample 84 Annex 3: Baseline Indicators 86 Annex 4: Documents Consulted 88 Annex 5: Data Collection Tools 89 Annex 6: Evaluation Terms of Reference (ToR) 109 Annex 7: Training Curriculum 114 Search for Common Ground | LEBANON 2 Research Report | Conflict Analysis and Power Dynamics – Lebanon Acknowledgements The consultant team would like to thank Search for Common Ground’s staff for their valuable feedBack on the design of the study and the report’s content. The authors of this report would also like to thank all key informants who took the time to inform this assessment. Special thanks are owed to all the community memBers who agreed to participate and inform the study with their insights. -
Usaid/Lebanon Lebanon Industry Value Chain
USAID/LEBANON LEBANON INDUSTRY VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT (LIVCD) PROJECT LIVCD QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT - YEAR 3, QUARTER 4 JULY 1 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 FEBRUARY 2016 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by DAI. CONTENTS ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................................................3 YEAR 3 QUARTER 4: JULY 1 – SEPTEMBER 30 2015 ............................................................... 4 PROJECT OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................... 4 EXCUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... 4 QUARTERLY REPORT structure ...................................................................................................................... 5 1. LIVCD YEAR 3 QUARTER 4: RESULTS (RESULTS FRAMEWORK & PERFORMANCE INDICATORS) ................................................................................................................................6 Figure 1: LIVCD Results framework and performance indicators ......................................................... 7 Figure 2: Results achieved against targets .................................................................................................... 8 Table 1: Notes on results achieved .................................................................................................................. -
Baalbek Hermel Zahleh Jbayl Aakar Koura Metn Batroun West Bekaa Zgharta Kesrouane Rachaiya Miniyeh-Danniyeh Bcharreh Baabda Aale
305 307308 Borhaniya - Rehwaniyeh Borj el Aarab HakourMazraatKarm el Aasfourel Ghatas Sbagha Shaqdouf Aakkar 309 El Aayoun Fadeliyeh Hamediyeh Zouq el Hosniye Jebrayel old Tekrit New Tekrit 332ZouqDeir El DalloumMqachrine Ilat Ain Yaaqoub Aakkar El Aatqa Er Rouaime Moh El Aabdé Dahr Aayas El Qantara Tikrit Beit Daoud El Aabde 326 Zouq el Hbalsa Ein Elsafa - Akum Mseitbeh 302 306310 Zouk Haddara Bezbina Wadi Hanna Saqraja - Ein Eltannur 303 Mar Touma Bqerzla Boustane Aartoussi 317 347 Western Zeita Al-Qusayr Nahr El Bared El318 Mahammara Rahbe Sawadiya Kalidiyeh Bhannine 316 El Khirbe El Houaich Memnaa 336 Bebnine Ouadi Ej jamous Majdala Tashea Qloud ElEl Baqie Mbar kiye Mrah Ech Chaab A a k a r Hmaire Haouchariye 34°30'0"N 338 Qanafez 337 Hariqa Abu Juri BEKKA INFORMALEr Rihaniye TENTEDBaddouaa El Hmaira SETTLEMENTS Bajaa Saissouq Jouar El Hachich En Nabi Kzaiber Mrah esh Shmis Mazraat Et Talle Qarqaf Berkayel Masriyeh Hamam El Minié Er Raouda Chane Mrah El Dalil Qasr El Minie El Kroum El Qraiyat Beit es Semmaqa Mrah Ez Zakbe Diyabiyeh Dinbou El Qorne Fnaydek Mrah el Arab Al Quasir 341 Beit el Haouch Berqayel Khraibe Fnaideq Fissane 339 Beit Ayoub El Minieh - Plot 256 Bzal Mishmish Hosh Morshed Samaan 340 Aayoun El Ghezlane Mrah El Ain Salhat El Ma 343 Beit Younes En Nabi Khaled Shayahat Ech Cheikh Maarouf Habchit Kouakh El Minieh - Plots: 1797 1796 1798 1799 Jdeidet El Qaitaa Khirbit Ej Jord En Nabi Youchaa Souaisse 342 Sfainet el Qaitaa Jawz Karm El Akhras Haouch Es Saiyad AaliHosh Elsayed Ali Deir Aamar Hrar Aalaiqa Mrah Qamar ed Dine -
Snapshot – on the Borders: What Fighting in the Town of Arsal Tells Us About Instability in Lebanon
Snapshot – On the Borders: What Fighting in the Town of Arsal Tells Us about Instability in Lebanon For a full text copy of the Snapshot, click here. The growing instability in Lebanon has been overshadowed by events in Iraq and Syria, but heightened tensions between Lebanese citizens, Syrian refugees, and competing military forces make Lebanon a critical part of the Middle East’s latest security crisis. Lebanon is being put under extreme pressure by the influx of 1.15 million registered Syrian refugees into a country already struggling to meet the basic needs of its citizens. The longstanding political divisions in Lebanon have been compounded by Hizbullah’s intervention in the Syrian civil war. The United States and Saudi Arabia have offered Lebanon emergency military aid, but this neglects the long-term humanitarian nature of the crisis and its effects on inter-communal relationships. What is needed is a long-term strategy to deal with the impact that Syrian refugees have had on Lebanese society and to contain violent outbreaks with sensitivity to the local dynamics from which they have emerged. In order to take an in-depth look at factors that are leading to growing incidents of violence in Lebanon, this Snapshot focuses on the town of Arsal, which has experienced the intense pressures that are threatening stability in Lebanon as a whole. SUMMARY Violent conflict in the Lebanese town of Arsal on the border with Syria offers a striking microcosm of the pressure the Syrian conflict is placing on Lebanon. Lebanon is struggling to cope with the influx of Syrian refugees, who now make up one fourth of the population. -
MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES Cilt Volume 6 • Sayı Number 2 • Ocak January 2015
Siyaset ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi Journal of Politics and International Relations RTADOĞU ETÜTLERİ MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES Cilt Volume 6 • Sayı Number 2 • Ocak January 2015 • Syria’s Firestorm: Where from? Where to? William Harris • Hizballah’s Resilience During the Arab Uprisings Joseph Alagha Implications of the Arab Spring for Iran’s Policy towards the • Middle East Bayram Sinkaya Implications of the Arab Uprisings on the Islamist Movement: • Lessons from Ikhwan in Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan Nur Köprülü European Powers and the Naissance of Weak States in the • Arab Middle East After World War I 2 • Ocak Gudrun Harrer Unpredictable Power Broker: Russia’s Role in Iran’s Nuclear • Capability Development Muhammet Fatih Özkan & Gürol Baba • Israel and the Gas Resources of the Levant Basin A. Murat Ağdemir 6 • Sayı İranlı Kadınların Hatıratlarında İran-Irak Savaşı: Seyyide • Fiyatı: 12 TL Zehra Hoseyni’nin Da’sını Yorumlamak Metin Yüksel BOOK REVIEWS • The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World ORSAM Rümeysa Eldoğan ISSN: 1309-1557 ORSAM ORTADOĞU STRATEJİK ARAŞTIRMALAR MERKEZİ CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES ORTADOĞU ETÜTLERİ MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES Siyaset ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi Journal of Politics and International Relations Ocak 2015, Cilt 6, Sayı 2 / January 2015, Volume 6, No 2 www.orsam.org.tr Hakemli Dergi / Refereed Journal Yılda iki kez yayımlanır / Published biannualy Sahibi / Owner: Şaban KARDAŞ, TOPAZ A.Ş. adına / on behalf of TOPAZ A.Ş. Editör / Editor-in-Chief: Özlem TÜR Yardımcı Editör/ Associate Editor: Ali Balcı Kitap Eleştirisi Editörü/ Book Review Editor: Gülriz Şen Yönetici Editör / Managing Editör: Tamer KOPARAN Sorumlu Yazı İşleri Müdürü / Managing Coordinator: Habib HÜRMÜZLÜ YAYIN KURULU / EDITORIAL BOARD Meliha Altunışık Middle East Technical University İlker Aytürk Bilkent Universitesi Recep Boztemur Middle East Technical University Katerina Dalacoura London School of Economics F. -
The EU, Resilience and the MENA Region
REGION ENA THE EU, RESILIENCE The EU Global Strategy outlines an ambitious set of objectives to refashion the EU’s foreign and security policy. Fostering state and AND THE MENA REGION societal resilience stands out as a major goal of the strategy, con- HE M T ceived both as a means to enhance prevention and early warning and as a long-term investment in good governance, stability and prosperity. This book collects the results of a research project designed and implemented by FEPS and IAI exploring different understandings of resilience on the basis of six MENA state and societal contexts, mapping out the challenges but also positive reform actors and dynamics within them as a first step towards operationalizing the concept of resilience. U, RESILIENCE AND E FEPS is the progressive political foundation established at the European level. Created in 2007, it aims at establishing an intellec- tual crossroad between social democracy and the European project. THE As a platform for ideas and dialogue, FEPS works in close collabora- tion with social democratic organizations, and in particular national foundations and think tanks across and beyond Europe, to tackle the challenges that we are facing today. FEPS inputs fresh thinking at the core of its action and serves as an instrument for pan-Euro- pean, intellectual political reflection. IAI is a private, independent non-profit think tank, founded in 1965 on the initiative of Altiero Spinelli. IAI seeks to promote awareness of international politics and to contribute to the advancement of European integration and multilateral cooperation. IAI is part of a vast international research network, and interacts and cooperates with the Italian government and its ministries, European and inter- national institutions, universities, major national economic actors, the media and the most authoritative international think tanks. -
Aging Politicians of Lebanon Aging Politicians of Lebanon
issue number 154 |May 2015 STATE EMPLOYMENT IN 2014: 69% MUSLIMS VS. 31% CHRISTIANS THE WOMEN OF LEBANON IN STATISTICS THE MONTHLY INTERVIEWS POET JOUMANA CHAHOUD NAJJAR www.monthlymagazine.com Published by Information International sal AGING POLITICIANS OF LEBANON FOUAD BOUTROS: 98 MICHEL EDDEH: 87 ABDUL LATIF ZEIN: 85 MICHEL EL-MURR: 84 Lebanon 5,000LL | Saudi Arabia 15SR | UAE 15DHR | Jordan 2JD| Syria 75SYP | Iraq 3,500IQD | Kuwait 1.5KD | Qatar 15QR | Bahrain 2BD | Oman 2OR | Yemen 15YRI | Egypt 10EP | Europe 5Euros May INDEX 2015 4 AGING POLITICIANS OF LEBANON 10 STATE EMPLOYMENT IN 2014: 69% MUSLIMS VS. 31% CHRISTIANS 12 45 VACANCIES ON BOARDS OF DIRECTORS 15 WHEN WILL MPS ATTEND SESSION ON ELECTIONS? 17 VICTIMS OF GUNFIRE ON OCCASIONS OF JOY OR SORROW 18 PORT OF BEIRUT: PUBLIC SECTOR RUN BY A PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE FOR 25 YEARS P: 30 P: 20 20 THE WOMEN OF LEBANON IN STATISTICS 24 THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES CENTER BUILDING 25 A STAR FROM MY COUNTRY AND WRITERS FROM MY COUNTRY 26 THE EXTENSION OF PARLIAMENT’S TERM SPREADS FROM LEBANON TO YEMEN 27 GEORGE FRAM (1934-2006) P: 18 29 ETHICS AND DEEDS: ANTOINE BOUTROS 30 INTERVIEW: POET JOUMANA CHAHOUD NAJJAR 32 ANERA 45 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- LEBANON ISRAEL’S WARS ON LEBANON: OPERATION GRAPES 34 POPULAR CULTURE OF WRATH 35 DEBUNKING MYTH#92: WILL SWALLOWED GUM 46 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- ARAB WORLD STAY IN YOUR SYSTEM FOR YEARS? EXECUTION OF ELI COHEN, THE MOST THREATENING DANGEROUS SPY PLANTED IN SYRIA BY ISRAEL 36 MUST-READ BOOKS: BEIRUT: IMAGES IN MY MEMORY 48 TERRORIST GROUPS PRETENDING TO PIERRE MAADANJIAN STAND FOR ISLAM (4) THE ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP IN ALGERIA 37 MUST-READ CHILDREN’S BOOK: ..WA YAJI’OU YAWMON AKHAR 49 REAL ESTATE PRICES - MARCH 2015 38 LEBANON FAMILIES: TABEEKH FAMILIES 50 DID YOU KNOW THAT?: TOP FIVE LOST TREASURES OF THE WORLD 39 DISCOVER LEBANON: HAZMIEH 50 RAFIC HARIRI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 40 DISCOVER THE WORLD: AUSTRIA TRAFFIC - MARCH 2015 41 MARCH 2015 HIGHLIGHTS 51 LEBANON’S STATS |EDITORIAL THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA IN SYRIA Excerpts from chapters 15 and 16 of Margaret Mc. -
Lebanon's Unstable Equilibrium
LEBANON'S UNSTABLE EQUILIBRIUM AUTHOR Mona Yacoubian November 2009 UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20036-3011 www.usip.org USIP Peace Briefing: Lebanon's Unstable Equilibrium INTRODUCTION Lebanon's recently announced national unity government has eased fears that the country would once again be mired in a dangerous political stalemate. Yet, despite the recent breakthrough, Lebanon's unstable equilibrium -- marked by both internal and regional tensions - - could still devolve into serious violence. Deep seated sectarian animosities persist, raising the prospects for political instability and civil strife if unaddressed. Regionally, mounting tensions with Israel raise the worrisome possibility of isolated border incidents spiraling into more serious conflict. Taken together these two underlying challenges to stability -- internal civil unrest and regional conflict with Israel -- could undermine Lebanon’s fragile peace. This paper will examine internal challenges to Lebanon’s stability. Formed five months after the June 2009 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri's consensus cabinet, comprised of his March 14th coalition together with members of the opposition March 8th bloc, is an essential step toward ensuring that Lebanon gains more stable footing. 1 The new government follows a compromise formula allotting 15 cabinet seats to the majority, 10 to the opposition, and five to President Michel Suleiman. While power-sharing arrangements are by nature less effective and more prone to stalemate, they are crucial to Lebanon’s delicately balanced confessional system and provide an essential pathway to civil peace. Beyond the new consensus government, two critical developments would help to facilitate peace and stability in Lebanon: . -
Political Leadership in Lebanon and the Jumblatt Phenomenon: Tipping the Scales of Lebanese Politics Sebastian Gerlach
SAIS EUROPE JOURNAL OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS Political Leadership in Lebanon and the Jumblatt Phenomenon: Tipping the Scales of Lebanese Politics Sebastian Gerlach For observers and scholars of contemporary Lebanese politics, an understanding of Lebanon’s complex political dynamics is hardly possible without a thorough analysis of the role of Walid Jumblatt, the leader of the country’s Druze community. Notwithstanding his sect’s marginal size, Jumblatt has for almost four decades greatly determined the course of domestic developments. Particularly between 2000 and 2013, the Druze leader developed into a local kingmaker through his repeated switch in affiliations between Lebanon’s pro- and anti-Syrian coalitions. This study argues that Jumblatt’s political behavior during this important period in recent Lebanese history was driven by his determination to ensure the political survival of his Druze minority community. Moreover, it highlights that Jumblatt’s ongoing command over the community, which appears to be impressive given his frequent political realignments, stems from his position as the dominating, traditional Druze za’im and because the minority community recognized his political maneuvering as the best mean to provide the Druze with relevance in Lebanon’s political arena. 84 VOLUME 20 INTRODUCTION who failed to preserve their follower- ship after altering their political ori- For observers and scholars of con- 2 temporary Lebanese politics, a thor- entation. In this respect, it is even ough understanding of the country’s more puzzling that Jumblatt was able complex political dynamics is hardly to maintain the support of his Druze possible without analyzing the role of community, known for its nega- Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Leba- tive attitudes towards the prominent non’s Druze community.