Lebanon's Political Stalemate: The Failure of the Sectarian Regime

Executive Summary

Since summer 2015, the Lebanese people have been regularly demonstrating against the country’s political elites. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to express their anger and hold political leaders responsible for their inability to resolve a seemingly endless garbage crisis. This crisis has revealed a reality that Lebanese citizens have long recognized but can no longer tolerate: political leaders are not sufficiently committed to the public good, and their divisions have contributed to the paralysis of an already fragile state.

The garbage crisis represents a symptom of the broader dysfunction of the Lebanese state. This dysfunction is intensified on one side by clientelism and corruption resulting from sectarianism, and on the other side by the repeated obstruction of political institutions by political rivals who benefit from veto powers. This situation is clearly a consequence of Lebanon’s political system: a consociational democracy based on confessionalism.

The current political system appears to have reached its limits in an increasingly challenging environment, and it has become increasingly evident that it is unable to address the basic needs of Lebanese citizens. Although an opportunity for change exists, achieving a transformation or even a limited reform of the political system may prove extremely difficult under the current circumstances.