History & Current Situation of Lebanon

Lebanon has a lengthy history in the Middle East and a heritage extending back nearly to the beginning of humankind. The region first appeared in history in the time of the Phoenicians, around 3000 B.C. The region was under the rule of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, the Persian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and others over its long history (Countries of the World, 1991, Chapter 1). Lebanon became independent in 1943, and a government then had to be established that would enable the various communities to live in harmony. A government was then created with a president who is traditionally a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunnite Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite. Many defense ministers have been Druzes. The National Assembly is the one-house parliament, and members are elected to four-year terms. They represent religious rather than political groups, and the president is chosen by parliament for a six-year term. He appoints the prime minister. By law, every parliament includes six Christians for every five Muslims, and each group is represented according to its numerical strength (Compton's Encyclopedia, 1994, online edition).

Widespread unrest developed with the emergence of the Arab nationalist movement after independence, the birth of Israel in 1948, and inequality among Lebanese factions. Discontented religious groups revolted against the government in 1958, and U.S. troops helped put down the insurrection. In 1970 the Palestine

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ntity of the new state. The Muslims, and especially the Sunnis, were inclined toward a close association with Greater Syria and the Arab world, but the Christians, especially the Maronites, wanted to see Lebanon linked culturally and politically with the Western world. Christians are not opposed to economic cooperation with the Arab countries, but they want to distinguish Lebanese foreign policy from that of the Arab states. This controversy has extended beyond politics into areas of culture and literature, and Muslims have insisted that Arab and Islamic culture and literature should be emphasized, while Uniate Christians refused to accept what they saw as an inferior culture (Countries of the World, 1991, Chapter 2). Lebanon has no civil code for personal matters, and sectarian stipulations therefore rule. Each sect provides for its own set of personal status laws that encompass such matters as engagement, marriage, dowry, annulment of marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance, and these laws are binding on the individual whether that individual is a practicing member of the sect or not, and the confessional system of personal status laws strengthens the role of communal religious leaders and slows the evolution of Lebane

Category: Foreign - H