Commentary
Julia Choucair-Vizoso
REQUIRED IMAGE
Paper
Lebanon: Finding a Path from Deadlock to Democracy
The Lebanese political system, designed to ensure representation for a diverse population, makes it very difficult for one group to gain enough seats in parliament to govern effectively. Therefore, although Syria's withdrawal has restored Lebanon's sovereignty, it has also left a power vacuum that threatens the stability of the country.
Published on Jan 5, 2006
Source: Carnegie Endowment
Summary
Syria's troop withdrawal in April 2005 allowed Lebanon to hold its first completely independent elections in three decades. However, the Lebanese political system, designed to ensure representation for a diverse population, makes it very difficult for one group to gain enough seats in parliament to govern effectively. Therefore, although Syria's withdrawal has restored Lebanon's sovereignty, it has also left a power vacuum that threatens the stability of the country.
In a new Carnegie Paper, Julia Choucair discusses the problems and prospects facing the largely fractured Lebanese political system. She outlines policies to realistically achieve security, electoral, and economic reform in Lebanon and discusses the role of international actors in Lebanon's political future.
Click on link above for the full text of this Carnegie Paper.
About the Author
Julia Choucair is a project associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Project and serves as assistant editor of Carnegie's e-monthly, the Arab Reform Bulletin.
About the Author
Julia Choucair-Vizoso
Former Editor in Chief, Sada
Julia Choucair Vizoso is editor in chief of the online journal, Sada. Her research interests include Middle Eastern politics, authoritarianism, and identity politics.
- Elections Highlight Lebanon's Confessional System
- Illusive Reform: Jordan's Stubborn StabilityPaper
Julia Choucair-Vizoso
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Europe
- France, Italy, and Spain Should Use Force in LebanonCommentary
Europe has been standing by while its Southern neighborhood is being redrawn by force. To establish a path to peace between Israel and Lebanon, it’s time for Europeans to get involved with hard power.
Rym Momtaz
- How to Join the EU in Three Easy StepsCommentary
Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.
Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni
- Win or Lose, Orbán Has Broken Hungary’s DemocracyCommentary
Hungarians head to the polls on April 12 for an election of national and European consequence. Three different outcomes are on the cards, each with their own implications for the EU.
Zsuzsanna Szelényi
- Is France Shifting Rightward?Commentary
The far right failed to win big in France’s municipal elections. But that’s not good news for the country’s left wing, which remained disunited while the broader right consolidated its momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
Catherine Fieschi
- Is the Radical-Right Threat Existential or Overstated?Commentary
Amid increased polarization and the influence of disinformation, radical-right parties are once again gaining traction across Europe. With landmark elections on the horizon in several countries, are the EU’s geostrategic vision and fundamental values under existential threat?
Catherine Fieschi, Cas Mudde
