Lebanon.
6 Peacebuilding organisations
Zico HouseA Lebanese centre for artists and performers providing a unique cultural atmosphere and a mix of people and ideas. UMAM Documentation & Research (UMAM D&R)
UMAM works to preserve memories of war in Lebanon, in the hope that lessons learned from the past will prevent violence in the future. A Step Away
A Step Away promotes arts and culture as tools of social justice and democracy in Lebanon. Development for People and Nature Association
Lebanese NGO based in Saida, working on political participation, human rights and environment protection. Permanent Peace Movement (PPM)
The mission of PPM is to nurture and spread a culture of peace through Lebanon and the wider region.
6 Peacebuilding organisations
Lebanon’s complex religious and ethnic make-up has led to ideological and political views becoming polarised and fragmented between alliances amongst the eighteen recognized sects, which escalated into a fifteen year-long civil war. In addition to this, Syria, the PLO and Israel have fought their own wars within the country, each sighting regional allegiances or national security issues. The most recent being Israel’s attack on Hezbollah in July 2006 which displaced 900,000 Lebanese and resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people.
The deep sectarian divisions erupted again into violence in May 2008, where Beirut and other locations saw armed clashes between Shia militias and forces loyal to the then Prime Minister Saad Hariri. This unity government then collapsed in 2011, after the resignation of all Hezbollah ministers and their political allies. This was due to a long-standing disagreement into the UN-backed inquiry into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, a former Prime Minister and father of Saad Hariri, which they felt would indict Hezbollah members. A new government was finally created on June 13th, 2011 run by the March 8th Alliance. Tensions still remain incredibly high and the situation in Syria has only increased the risk for Lebanon to become again caught in the middle.
From the blog
From the field Lebanon: cultural heritage as a tool for peace
One result of Lebanon’s civil war was an undermining of sectarian diversity among the country. Violence forced people to be confined to their villages, with few opportunities for interaction with other communities of varying religious sects. As borders and checkpoints were dismantled, psychological barriers remained and people stayed confined to their small towns. As a result, generations have grown up self-identifying solely with their town, village or tribe and countless young have never set foot among Lebanese communities with different backgrounds from their own. Read more >>>
Commentary Political pluralism: lessons from Lebanon and Turkey
With the optimism of the Arab Spring long since replaced by the anxiety over the escalating violence in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, a vision for democracy in the Middle East has been difficult to conjure. The announcement on 13 June of a new cabinet in Lebanon under Prime Minister designate Najib Mikati and the re-election the day before of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development party under Tayyip Erdogan offer two encouraging examples of both the promise and challenges of transitioning democracies in the region. Read more >>>
