2009/12/12 by Simon Haddad · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Middle East Politics and Society #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies #Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
paper · doi:10.1080/13537110903346684
openalex publication_date 2009/12/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This article seeks to interpret recent developments in Lebanon in the light of a well-known theory, consociationalism, which presents itself as a model for the government of deeply divided societies. It therefore begins by looking at the character of this particular approach to government, describing the main features of consociationalism. The next section explores the historical background to contemporary Lebanese politics, from the pre-independence period to the 2005 crisis. This is followed by a discussion of events since 2005, and of the changing dynamics of Lebanese politics. The last section seeks to interpret these events, returning to the question of consociationalism and questioning its relevance in understanding the Lebanese conflict.