Vertical Relationships and Local Peacebuilding in Lebanon: The Case of Responsive Waste Management

Abstract

There is a growing understanding that vertical relationships matter for peacebuilding efforts that respond to local needs. There is little consensus, however, on how to study verticality in peacebuilding empirically. This article asks how we can understand responsiveness to needs through vertical relationships in post-conflict spaces. To answer this question, the article develops an analytical framework of vertical relationships as a peacebuilding function. Arguing that responsiveness to needs is a critical factor in building a legitimate peace, the article applies this framework to the case of municipal waste management during the waste crisis in Lebanon in 2015. Building on 31 interviews in two Lebanese municipalities, the article illustrates the complexity of vertical relationships in a post-conflict space. It concludes that vertical relationships enable responsiveness to needs by drawing on political belonging, thus promoting a fragile peacebuilding dependent on national political divides.