THE EMERGENCE OF THE NON- SECTARIAN MOVEMENT IN LEBANON TRANSFORMING FROM STREET PROTESTS TOWARDS A FULL- FLEDGED POLITICAL MOVEMENT Wetenschappelijke verhandeling Aantal woorden: 25.981 Jesse Waterschoot Stamnummer: 01306668 Promotor: Prof. dr. Christopher Parker Masterproef voorgelegd voor het behalen van de graad master in de richting Politieke Wetenschappen afstudeerrichting Internationale Politiek Academiejaar: 2017-2018 2 Acknowledgements I would like to thank all the individuals with whom I have discussed this topic. Through its specificity, online information was sometimes hard to find, so I would like to thank every individual in Lebanon that shared information with me. I extend my sincere gratitude to my colleagues at Heinrich Böll Stichtung Beirut, who supported me in my project on the Lebanese elections and shared their insights with me. Without their assistance and contacts in Beirut’s political scene, finishing this dissertation would have been much harder. Whenever I had any question about a Lebanese party, organisation or politician they were happy to provide information. A special acknowledgment must be given to my promotor, Christopher Parker. Through your guidance and advice on this specific topic and support for my internship plans, I was able to complete this dissertation. 3 Abstract Deze Master thesis behandelt de opkomst van de Libanese niet-sektarische beweging. Libanon kent een confessioneel systeem, waarbij de staat en samenleving georganiseerd is op basis van religie. Deze bestuursvorm resulteerde in een politiek-religieuze elite die overheidsdiensten monopoliseerde en herstructureerde om diensten te voorzien aan hun religieuze achterban, in ruil voor hun loyaliteit. Na de burgeroorlog werd dit confessioneel systeem aangepast, maar niet fundamenteel gewijzigd. De bevolking bleef opgedeeld langs sektarische lijnen terwijl de corruptie en zelfverrijking van de politieke klasse alleen maar toenam. Tijdens de jaren ’90 werd de basis gelegd voor de niet-sektarische beweging, die tegen het confessioneel systeem is. Hun doel is Libanon om te vormen naar een seculiere staat die zijn burgers gelijk behandeld, ongeacht hun religieuze achtergrond. De afgelopen vijftien jaar heeft deze beweging zich ontwikkeld van straatprotesten naar een volwaardige politieke kracht. De afvalcrisis en de lokale verkiezingen in 2016 waren hier een cruciaal moment in. De campagne voor de parlementaire verkiezingen van mei 2018 vormt het finale stuk van deze thesis. De niet-sektarische beweging geraakte verdeeld over cruciale onderwerpen en de te volgen strategie. Het Libanese confessionele systeem bleek te rigide voor niet-sektarische bewegingen. Ze slaagden er niet in een bres in het systeem te slaan en moesten genoegen nemen met slechts één parlementaire zetel. Hoewel een electorale overwinning ontbrak, was dit verkiezingsproces essentieel voor de verdere ontwikkelingen van niet-sektarische bewegingen en heeft het geleid tot een maturiteitsproces in de beweging. 4 Table Of Content Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Table Of Content ..................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1. Probleemstelling ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.2. Outline ................................................................................................................................... 10 1.3. Concepts ................................................................................................................................ 11 2. Post-independent Lebanon ........................................................................................................... 15 2.1. State structure ....................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.1. Challenging the system ................................................................................................. 17 2.2. civil war.................................................................................................................................. 18 2.3. Post-Taif and reconstruction ................................................................................................. 20 2.3.1. Taif agreement and Syrian presence ............................................................................. 20 2.3.2. From Liberalism to Neoliberalism ................................................................................. 21 2.3.2.1. Solidere and reconstruction .................................................................................. 23 2.3.2.2. Service ministries and labour protests .................................................................. 24 3. Cedar revolution ............................................................................................................................ 26 3.1. Rise of non-sectarian protest movement ............................................................................. 29 3.1.1. Arab spring .................................................................................................................... 30 3.1.2. Take Back Parliament .................................................................................................... 32 4. Garbage crisis and Beirut Madinati ............................................................................................... 34 4.1. Garbage crisis ........................................................................................................................ 34 4.1.1. Events ............................................................................................................................ 34 4.1.2. Actors ............................................................................................................................ 35 4.1.3. Factors ........................................................................................................................... 37 4.1.4. Challenges and result .................................................................................................... 39 4.2. Beirut Madinati ..................................................................................................................... 42 4.2.1. Founding and campaign ................................................................................................ 42 4.2.2. Results and significance ................................................................................................ 44 4.2.3. Post-electoral discussions ............................................................................................. 46 5 4.3. Electoral Law ......................................................................................................................... 48 5. Analysis of the 2018 Campaign ..................................................................................................... 51 5.1. List formation process ........................................................................................................... 51 5.1.1. Kollouna Watani ............................................................................................................ 52 5.1.2. Bottom-up strategy ....................................................................................................... 54 5.2. Campaign ............................................................................................................................... 55 5.2.1. Rallying .......................................................................................................................... 56 5.2.2. Programme .................................................................................................................... 57 5.2.3. Challenges ..................................................................................................................... 59 5.3. Election results ...................................................................................................................... 60 6. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 63 7. Attachments .................................................................................................................................. 66 7.1. Map of the Ottoman Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate. .......................................................... 66 7.2. Map of Greater Lebanon under the French mandate. .......................................................... 67 7.3. List of Interviewees ............................................................................................................... 68 8. References ..................................................................................................................................... 68 6 1. Introduction This dissertation examines the emergence of the non-sectarian Lebanese civil society movement and shows how it collides with the political economy of the state. I was intrigued