The Sunni community in Lebanon: From "Harirism" to "sheikhism"?

Abstract

The Sunni community is one of Lebanon's historic communities, key player of the National Pact, and pivotal in the Lebanese political game. However, following the assassination of former prime minister Rafi c Hariri, the Sunni community seems to live in limbo, unable to fi ll the political vacuum created by Hariri's death. The aim of this chapter is to analyse the paths of transformation and adaptability of the Sunni community by focusing on the post-2011 era in particular. If the crisis of "Harirism" was something unexpected in Lebanon, the Sunnis have shown a weak capacity to react to several diffi culties at various levels. This weakness paved the way for the rise of radical Sunni movements such as that of Sheikh Ahmad al-Asîr between 2011 and 2013.