Lebanon: The Long Road from Sectarianism to the Illusion of a Stable State

Lebanon’s past reflects a delicate sectarian equilibrium, formally embedded in the 1943 National Pact, an unwritten understanding aimed at dividing authority among the country’s religious communities. This arrangement, constructed to guarantee representation, ultimately planted the conditions for discord, playing a role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). The Taif Agreement (1989) attempted to correct foundational flaws within this system, yet doubts persist over its ability to sustain long-term stability.