Aiming to contribute to the reader’s greater understanding of Lebanese government and politics, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the origin, development, and institutionalization of sectarian consociationalism in Lebanon. A recurrent proposition advanced in this book is that Lebanese sectarian consociationalism has been both a cure and a curse in the formulation of political settlements and institution building. On the one hand, and in contrast to many surrounding Arab regimes, consociational arrangements have provided the country with a relative democratic political life. A limited government with a strong confessional division of power and a built-in checks and balance mechanism prevented the emergence of dictatorship or monarchy. On the other hand, a chronic weak state has complicated efforts for nation building in favour of sectarian fragmentation, external interventions, and strong polarization that periodically brought the country to the verge of total collapse and civil war. While examining Lebanese sectarian politics of conflict and concession during different historic junctures many revelations are made that underlie the role of domestic and international forces shaping the country’s future. Presenting an implicit description of the power and functions of the various branches of government within the context of sectarian consociationalism, this book is an important introductory text for students of Lebanese Politics and Middle Eastern politics more broadly.

Aiming to contribute to the reader’s greater understanding of Lebanese government and politics, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the origin, development, and institutionalization of sectarian consociationalism in Lebanon. A recurrent proposition advanced in this book is that Lebanese sectarian consociationalism has been both a cure and a curse in the formulation of political settlements and institution building. On the one hand, and in contrast to many surrounding Arab regimes, consociational arrangements have provided the country with a relative democratic political life. A limited government with a strong confessional division of power and a built-in checks and balance mechanism prevented the emergence of dictatorship or monarchy. On the other hand, a chronic weak state has complicated efforts for nation building in favour of sectarian fragmentation, external interventions, and strong polarization that periodically brought the country to the verge of total collapse and civil war. While examining Lebanese sectarian politics of conflict and concession during different historic junctures many revelations are made that underlie the role of domestic and international forces shaping the country’s future. Presenting an implicit description of the power and functions of the various branches of government within the context of sectarian consociationalism, this book is an important introductory text for students of Lebanese Politics and Middle Eastern politics more broadly.

This book is a collection of essays that were originally presented at a conference at the Lebanese American University in late May 2007, entitled “Politics, Culture and the Lebanese Diaspora.” It looks at various facets of the Lebanese Diaspora and examines the politics and culture of Lebanese migrants and their descendants in different parts of the world while detailing the communal, national and transnational elements of these practices and exploring the changing characteristics of politics and culture in respect to migration, Diaspora and globalization. The essays raise questions about the (in)compatible and interpenetrating relationships between these dynamics, and analyze processes of identity formation as cultural manifestations of migratory politics. The book is divided into three main sections. The first section deals with issues of identity and multiculturalism among Lebanese emigrants, concluding that identities are continuously molded and negotiated in the diaspora. It examines the formation of identities among second and third-generation migrants, and the changing conceptions of the meaning of roots and homelands. The second section deals with politics and activism in the Diaspora. It looks at how diasporas relate to the political processes in their homelands during post-conflict resolution and explores the role of Lebanese migrants abroad in the process of peace-building back home. The third part deals with the Diaspora in literature and media through the assessment of key writings on the explorations of self of the Lebanese abroad, drawing on how symbols of identification and conventions of representation become sites of conflict over time. The wide variety of perspectives presented in these papers invite us to challenge the notion of a fixed, bounded, and rigid homeland and identity, and move towards one that is more nomadic and fluid. They call us to pay attention to the symbols used in the cultural construction of both homelands and identities in the country of immigration and to think of the complex ways in which transnational politics affect the homeland and are in turn affected by it.

The movement of displaced people, migrants and refugees has become increasingly important around the world, leading to a need for increased scrutiny of global responses and policies towards migration. This book focuses on the Middle East, where many nations are part of this global phenomenon as both home, transit and/or host country. Refugee Governance, State and Politics in the Middle East examines the patterns of legal, political and institutional responses to large-scale Syrian forced migration. It analyses the motivations behind neighbouring countries' policy responses, how their responses change over time and how they have an impact on regional and global cooperation. Looking in particular at Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, three of the world's top refugee hosting countries, this book explores how refugee governance differs across countries and why they diverge. To theorize variations, the book introduces multi-pattern and multi-stage refugee governance models as two complementary analytical frameworks. The book further argues that each of these three states’ refugee responses is constructed based on three main factors: internal political interests, economic-development related concerns, and foreign policy objectives as well as interactions among them. The book’s categorizations and models (on policy fields, actors, stages, patterns and driving forces) provide analytical tools to researchers for comparative analyses. Scholars and students of Comparative Politics, International Relations, Refugee Studies, Global Governance and Middle Eastern Studies will find this book a useful contribution to their fields.

With recent upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa, the eighth edition of The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa has been thoroughly revised to provide a necessary, comprehensive and current examination of the domestic politics and foreign policies of this crucial region. A newly expanded introduction provides students with a comparative and thematic overview of the region, from its political regimes and electoral institutions to its economic and social concerns. Each chapter, written by an invited specialist, uses a common framework to explore the historical background, social and political environment, political structure and dynamics, and foreign policy of a country. Chapters are augmented by a country map, a box providing key facts, and an annotated bibliography summarizing the major literature. The eighth edition provides vital new considerations of the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the ongoing sectarian violence and rise of ISIS, and the growth of social forces like youth movements and women's rights groups. In addition, the inclusion of six new contributors brings fresh perspectives, ensuring that The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa remains an essential guide to the region's political landscape.

Rapid social, economic, and political change is endemic to the Middle East and is often more revolutionary than evolutionary in nature. In many ways, the entire political landscape of the Middle East has been transformed in the past decade in the realm of both international relations and domestic politics: The collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of the cold war, and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait have all had a profound effect on relations among states within the region and between those states and countries outside the region.In this revised edition, Long and Reich provide comprehensive and up-to-date analyses of many critical contemporary events and issues. The contributors explain how Desert Storm isolated Iraq and brought Syria back into the mainstream of Arab politics, contributing to the revival of the Arab-Israeli peace process. They also show how the return of a Labor government in Israel has allowed the peace process to go forward. Evaluating the economic costs of the Kuwait war and the continuing oil glut, the authors find that resulting changes in the domestic economies of the oil-producing states have created additional pressures for social and political change. The most profound change in government and politics, however, is the rise of Islam as the idiom of political discourse among moderates as well as extremists.

This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Bradt’s Lebanon remains the only English-language guide dedicated to the smallest country on the Asian continent. Comprehensively updated throughout to reflect recent economic, political and social changes, it includes revised and new listings for hotels, restaurants, and what to see and do, catering for all types of travellers and budgets. Although only half the size of Wales, Lebanon offers extraordinary diversity. Some of the world’s oldest human settlements, including the Phoenician ports of Tyre and Byblos – two of Lebanon’s five World Heritage sites – sit alongside modern Beirut. The absorbing capital is popular for its world-renowned cuisine, eclectic nightlife, mosaic of peoples and kaleidoscope of religions. In Lebanon's second city, Tripoli, busy medieval souks are watched over by a vast Crusader castle. Nearby, snow-capped mountains and the lush Qadisha Valley with its snaking river and waterfalls provide entertainment for skiers and hikers (the latter also well served by the Lebanon Mountain Trail, which runs virtually the length of the country). Three hundred days of sunshine per year makes Lebanon a ‘go anytime’ destination, with the Mediterranean coastline particularly drawing sun-seekers and watersports enthusiasts. Wildlife-lovers can enjoy Shouf Biosphere Reserve (with its famed cedar trees, the national emblem) and the Aammiq Wetlands, while Lebanon has become a major destination for religious tourism, and vinophiles can visit numerous Bekaa Valley wineries of international repute. Bradt's Lebanon offers detailed coverage of areas ignored by other guides, particularly the country’s south, as well as more extensive cultural and practical information. New for this edition are specialist features on aspects of Lebanese cultural life, additional background information, updates on work to rebuild Beirut following the 2020 explosion, extended and revised coverage of the Aammiq Wetlands, new and updated maps, and new visitor attractions including the MIM mineral museum and the Middle East’s first chocolate museum, both in Beirut. With a comprehensive language appendix covering both Arabic and French, detailed historical and religious background that helps visitors travel with awareness and sensitivity, and in-depth travel information, Bradt's Lebanon is an indispensable practical companion to visiting this excitingly varied country.

This study explores how Lebanon can strengthen the governance of the digital transformation of its public sector to better serve the needs of its citizens and businesses. Three facets of Lebanon's governance are analysed: contextual factors, institutional models and policy levers.

This second edition of Ethnic Conflict in World Politics is an introduction to a new era in which civil society, states, and international actors attempt to channel ethnic challenges to world order and security into conventional politics. From Africa's post-colonial rebellions in the 1960s and 1970s to anti-immigrant violence in the 1990s the authors survey the historical, geographic, and cultural diversity of ethnopolitical conflict. Using an analytical model to elucidate four well-chosen case studies?the Kurds, the Miskitos, the Chinese in Malaysia, and the Turks in Germany?the authors give students tools for analyzing emerging conflicts based on the demands of nationalists, indigenous peoples, and immigrant minorities throughout the world. The international community has begun to respond more quickly and constructively to these conflicts than it did to civil wars in divided Yugoslavia and genocide in Rwanda by using the emerging doctrines of proactive peacemaking and peace enforcement that are detailed in this book. Concludes by identifying five principles of international doctrine for managing conflict in ethnically diverse societies. The text is illustrated with maps, tables, and figures.

Lebanon Country Study Guide - Strategic Information and Developments Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments