Proximate causes of state fragility and sources of resilience in Lebanon

Abstract

This chapter examines proximate causes of state fragility and sources of resilience in Lebanon until 2020. Lebanon has endured a turbulent past and continues to suffer its consequences. Lebanon enjoyed an open economy, an open political system, a large degree of diversity and relatively low poverty levels—at least in the years after independence was achieved in 1943. Lebanon has a turbulent past and continues to suffer the consequences. Perched on the edge of the Mediterranean, the country enjoys a strategic location and wealth of natural resources. In October 2019, the Lebanese people took to the streets to protest the injustice, corruption and deteriorating economic conditions and denounce the sectarian rule that exacerbated the weight of Lebanon’s extractive institutions, rentierism and patronage system. In the reconstruction phase, despite many corrupt practices, the government made serious efforts to bring normalcy to people’s lives.