In the past decade, the Middle East and North African countries faced internal and external conflicts that threatened the institutional setups of the authoritarian/hybrid regimes. One of the countries that has been suffering from the repercussions of the regional conflicts, the Arab uprisings, and the Syrian refugee crisis, along with the serious economic and financial crisis that has been ongoing for almost 5 years, is Lebanon. The multiple crises that Lebanon is suffering from have increased the pressure on the basic democratic institutions and resulted in a state paralysis.
Against this background, some questions can be raised: to what extent have the multiple crises revealed the vulnerability of the state structures? And what impact did they have in strengthening the role of hybrid groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the expense of democratic institutions? Answering these questions, I will investigate the polarization of the national political scene domestically and how the society and elites have normalized the ‘crisis.’ I will also look into the role of external regional/international players (US, France, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Russia) in setting scores internally – thus prolonging the crises and deepening the collapse of the state’s institutions.
This conference takes place in English at the IEMed conference room, Girona, 20 – Barcelona. It can also be followed on IEMed’s Youtube Channel.