From the Republics of the Sects to the Taif State : Pathways of Transformation in Lebanon’s Political Structure

This study examines the transformation of Lebanon’s political system from the establishment of Greater Lebanon in 1920 through 2024 by analyzing four major sectarian political power centers: The Druze, Maronite, Sunni, and Shiite. It introduces the analytical concept of “Sectarian Republics,” not as legally autonomous entities within the Lebanese Republic, but as sectarian power centers capable, to varying degrees, of building leadership, social networks, resources, institutions, and influence over public decision-making. The study asks whether the succession of these power centers contributed to overcoming political sectarianism or reproduced it in different forms. It adopts a historical-analytical and comparative approach, with discourse analysis used as a supporting method. The study argues that shifts in the dominant sectarian power center did not automatically transcend the sectarian structure. Furthermore, the Taif Agreement reorganized this structure while also establishing a constitutional pathway toward the gradual abolition of political sectarianism, a transition that remained institutionally incomplete. The comparison shows that the four cases developed different sources and mechanisms of power, ranging from constitutional centrality and negotiated leadership to political-economic networks and, in the Shiite case, the combination of political representation, social organization, and independent military capacity. The study concludes that a transition toward a citizenship-based state requires institutional transformation in the production of political power rather than merely a redistribution of sectarian leadership.

Keywords: Taif Agreement, political sectarianism, citizenship state, political Maronism, political Sunnism, political Shiism

Research Language: Arabic

How to cite:
ElQarar Journal for Peer-Reviewed Scientific Research, Vol. 12, Issue 34, Year (3), pp. 172-202.

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⚖️ Conflict of Interest:

The author/authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this research.

💰 Funding:

This study did not receive any financial support or grant from any public, private, or non-profit entity.

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