National News, Analyses & Opinions
Lebanon in dire need of reform: Is the country ready for a new social contract?
Opinion analysis by Myriam Akiki, Staff Writer
It is safe to say that the Lebanese State in itself has failed. It has long lost its authority, is in no way capable of providing for its citizens and a sizeable portion of the Lebanese people no longer consider it to be legitimate. Lebanon is in desperate need of a brand-new social contract. Any variant of the current system will only lead to history repeating itself and thus, robbing Lebanese citizens of their freedom once again.
Multiculturalism in Lebanon - The Sectarian Cleavage at the center of the Lebanese Political Distress
Opinion policy analysis by Anthony Ahrend, Featured Writer
On September 16th, 2012, Pope Benedikt XVI praised Lebanon upon his visit there for its 18 different sects that all live together within the same territory. Yet, do they really? Little did he know, that is not the case. With that being said, what are some of the consequences of this sectarian break- up? It is important to take a look at the political participation in Lebanon and explain why the “Thawra” was unsuccessful.
Gerrymandering Electoral Districts - A Brief History of Redistricting in Lebanon, and its influential Role in the Electoral Process
Opinion Policy Analysis by Nicole Nicolas, Visiting Contributor
Like most other nations of the modern world, Lebanon has played host to countless, and very elaborate, forms of gerrymandering. Lebanon’s electoral districts have been drawn and redrawn several times since the country’s inception. In a sectarian power sharing system dating back to 1943, Lebanon’s sectarian leaders have always agreed to draw district lines together, each side going for a bigger piece of the pie. With a few seasonal disputes here and there, an arrangement is always reached, “No winners and no losers”, according to the late Prime Minister Saeb Salam - a principle that defines Lebanon’s political structure to this very day. The result of such agreements means that election results are almost always determined before elections even take place.
Women’s Political Exclusion in Lebanon: The Legacy of Colonial Pasts, Religious Institutions, and Sectarianism
Opinion Analysis by Roa Daher, Featured Writer
In the span of a few decades, Lebanon went from being one of the first Arab countries to grant women suffrage in 1952 to now having one of the lowest rates of women’s political participation in the MENA region. Even though more than 100 women candidates registered in the 2018 parliamentary elections, which is a ten-fold increase from just a decade earlier and the largest number in Lebanese history, women only won 6 out of 128 seats in the parliament. 49.69% of the Lebanese population is composed of women, and yet these women only hold 4.69% of the seats in parliament. Beyond the obvious issue of a lack of representation in politics, women face many obstacles that may prevent them from seeking a seat in the parliament, never mind actually winning the seat against a male candidate.
Despised Belonging – Defining Political Brainwashing
Opinion piece by Gaelle Nohra, Staff Writer
Beyond compare, the uprisings incentivized the Lebanese community to become both more informed and involved about the happenings taking place within their territory’s border while simultaneously proving that the way out of the turmoil lies exclusively in the hands of a brand new political order. That said, it also contributed to the normalization of despise directed towards individuals having affiliation towards ruling parties.