A history of modern Lebanon, Fawwaz Traboulsi

Résumé du document

Shihab's social and political project shaped the Lebanese political life for at least a decade. After the stabilization of the country and the return to national unity, Shihab's main task was to build 'the State of independence' in Lebanon and to achieve social and economic development. He indeed, had a very egalitarian view of what Lebanese nationalism should be.

Extraits

[...] He indeed had a very egalitarian view of what Lebanese nationalism should be. On the last day of 1961, a failed military coup d'état, led by the officers from the Syrian National Social Party, strengthened Shihab's regime. This aborted coup allowed army intelligence officers the so-called Deuxième Bureau to meddle even more in Lebanese politics and helped the regime to transfer power from the legislature to the executive. A new electoral law later helped some new figures, backed by security agencies, to emerge. [...]

[...] the Lebanese people Soon, Maronite accused the State of selling out the country to foreigners. They actually confused two different realities: rich Arabs from the Gulf and Saudi Arabia buying land in Lebanon and the dwellers of slums, mainly poor Lebanese and some Syrians and Kurds. The debate quickly drifted away from reality and a link was made between ‘poor' and ‘strangers'. Strangers were now blamed for poverty and social problems. The government was forced to pass a law to ban the sale of land to non-Lebanese. [...]

[...] Ghassan Tuwayni's Al-Nahar opposed statism and argued that the Lebanese “barely needs government, as government can only bridle him and paralyze his efficiency”. This was the occasion for the Muslim oligarchy to ask for a greater share in the political decision-making process. The following year was the one of “crisis of the partnership of the ruling class altogether, as official Lebanon faced the watershed of the Six Day War”. PLO, security and polarization The Six Day War of 1967 plunged Lebanon into the Arab-Israeli conflict and into domestic political troubles. [...]

[...] In 1967, Palestinian fida'iyin entered the country and settled in south Lebanon, where they launched raids against Israel. On 28 December planes were destroyed at Beirut International Airport as a retaliation of the hijacking of an Israeli civilian plane by George Habash's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Lebanese society thus polarized between pro- and anti- Palestinian factions. There were a lot of clashes between the Lebanese army and the Palestinian fida'iyin. This came to an end with the Cairo Accords signed on 8 November 1969, granting Palestinian fida'iyin the right to move around Lebanese territory. [...]

[...] Dualities and divisions of the Hilu regime Hilu's mandate was dominated by domestic and foreign rivalries. Shihabists were still very influent during Hilu's mandate, as they held the majority in Parliament and controlled the administration through the security agencies. Neighboring Arab countries forced Lebanon to step out of its neutrality and to take part in Arab quarrels (the conservative United Arab Republic was opposed to Nasser's socialist Egypt) as well as in the Arab- Israeli conflict (Nasser wanted to station troops in Lebanon). [...]