The Lebanese Identity Crisis - The oldest crisis of them all

Analysis by Myriam Akiki, Staff Writer

June 28th, 2021

Lebanon turned 100 years old just last September. However, the 1st of September, 1920 only saw the birth of Lebanon as an actual nation-state, in what was then called the State of Greater Lebanon.

One century later, it is now the Lebanese Republic: a failed state and the crossroad of more crises than one can count on two hands. The oldest crisis of them all may well be the one we’ve ignored for too long and is the reason for all the turmoil that is happening today in the country.

If you were a student at a Lebanese school and paid attention during history classes, you’re most likely an expert on all events that happened before the end of the French mandate. You’ll know that our piece of land was home to the Phoenicians some 4000 years ago. You’ll also know that it was the object of many conquests up until the French mandate.  Being an expert on modern history, however, is an excruciating task. You’ll need to read more than just a couple of books and listen to more than just your grandparents’ stories, in order for you to begin to have an objective view of the events that occurred post-mandate, especially with regards to the civil war and its aftermath. The civil war is the perfect example of what the lack of unity can do to a country.

Indeed, the Lebanese identity crisis isn’t a new term. It has long been the subject of research and studies, and has been discussed extensively by notable historians such as Kamal Salibi. The title of his book “A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered” is a summarization of the situation of the Lebanese community. Although the book was written back in 1988, near the end of the civil, not much has changed since then.

Lebanon is one piece of land encompassing more diverse groups than it may have been able to handle. The people that form the Lebanese community haven’t always identified as such. The Lebanese nationality is just as old as the State of Lebanon and, before that, the different communities identified themselves by their respective religions, mainly during the Ottoman Empire reign. They still do, internally, today.

Lebanese divisiveness is the fruit of mainly three inseparable factors: history, politics and religions. As such, it has always been a matter of choosing. When the independence happened, it was choosing between France and the Arab identity. When the civil war happened, choosing to side with Palestinians or not played a major role. After the war, it was being pro-Syrian or anti-Syrian. In the latest years, it escalated into either siding with Iran or Saudi Arabia or choosing between the East and West. This policy of always having to choose sides is what led to the failure of Lebanon as the state it is today.

Back in the so-called golden days, Lebanon was referred to as “Switzerland of the Middle East”. Many claim that both countries have many similarities historically, especially when trying to prove that federalism is a good solution for Lebanon. However, when one looks at it closely, it appears that the Lebanese communities have much more in common than what the Swiss communities have. We all speak the same language, whatever the religious affiliation— or lack thereof— may be. We all share the same culture and values, with some little variations between different areas. But we all proudly call it the Lebanese culture.

This leads to the next point. A century has passed, and the time has come for a reassessment of our social contract. The vision of Lebanon in itself – as in Mount Lebanon and the regions that were added to it - isn’t wrong. It’s the way we decided to govern ourselves that is wrong. The consociationalism that Lebanon decided to adopt— keeping sectarianism at its core— is what led to the failure of Lebanon as a nation-state.

Today, the division is between the ones who look outwards, not to stay there, but to see what Lebanon can become, and the ones that are stuck dwelling on the past and Lebanon’s alleged former glory. Slogans like “Switzerland of the East” and “Paris of the Middle East” have only added to the denial of what is currently happening in Lebanon. Why can’t Lebanon just be Lebanon and Beirut just be Beirut?

Ultimately, we shouldn’t be looking at our differences negatively. In the past year and a half, we have proven that as a people, we actually do not lack anything in patriotism. In his book “In the Name of Identity”, Lebanese-French author Amin Maalouf states: “What makes me myself rather than anyone else is the very fact that I am poised between two countries, two or three languages, and several cultural traditions. It is precisely this that defines my identity.” So maybe, we just need to accept our multiculturalism and learn to divert it inwards and seek to truly change the way we see and govern ourselves.