Lebanon: Cultures in Conflict

OVERVIEW

Lebanon is a land that has known little but conflict since it first gained its independence in 1943 under a mandate from the soon-to-be defunct League of Nations. This paper will explore the sources of cultural conflict in this tiny, but important, Mediterranean nation that shares its borders with Israel and Syria. First, though, a brief overview of Lebanon's geography, population, economic performance, and basic demographics is necessary in order to fully understand the complicated workings of a nation that symbolizes everything that is wrong with a region in seemingly perpetual turmoil.

Once part of the vast Ottoman Empire, Lebanon occupies over 10,000 square kilometers, roughly 70 percent the size of Connecticut, of water-rich, arable land in a region where water and arable land are often in short supply. The population of nearly four million is growing at a rate of approximately 1.2 percent annually and has a literacy rate of nearly 90 percent, according to a 2007 estimate.[i]

Economically, Lebanon is in trouble. A fifteen-year civil war (1975-1990), heavy debt from excessive borrowing, and severe infrastructure damage from a 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel have all contributed to what can only be described as a serious financial mess. Lebanon's economy is primarily based on agriculture, industry and services, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) real growth estimated by the Central Intelligence Agency at 5 percent.[ii] According to the same estimate, public debt stands at 209 percent of GDP. The dire economic conditions in Lebanon are, perhaps, best expressed by the Crisis Group: