The political crisis in Lebanon: exhaustion of the confessional system

Abstract

Since 2019, Lebanon has been going through the worst economic, political and financial crisis in its history. Its historical form of sociopolitical organization, confessional system, has not been able to face this situation, paralyzing public life and generating social discontent. Likewise, it has limited the capacity of the Government to adopt measures that could allow the recovery of the nation. During the last decades, the main beneficiaries of the system have been the religious elites, which have enriched themselves with public funds while establishing fragile balancing systems to share power. This inefficient management has led the country to political instability and permanent social tension. Some of the symptoms of multi-confessional crisis in Lebanon are the endemic corruption, sectarianism, clientelism, negligence, periods of misrule, constant power vacuums and the crisis of representation.