9 Things You Need to Know About the Lebanese Civil War

Hanci Lei, Madhumitha Krishnan

What is Lebanon?

Lebanon is a mostly compact, multinational state in the Middle East that borders Syria, Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea. It has the largest proportion of Christians in the entire Middle East, at 40.5% of the population.

Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire 1516-1918, and then a French colony from 1920 to 1945, although France did not withdraw all troops from Lebanon until 1946.

What lies at the root of the conflict?

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Lebanon has long been a multisectarian country, with Sunni and Christian majorities in coastal cities and Shia populations concentrated to the East and South of the country. French colonialism favored the Christians, which spurred pan-Arabist and anti-western sentiments.

Lebanon had been struggling with political instability soon after it gained independence from France. The growth of Arab Nationalism in the 1950’s exacerbated the tension between the large Christian population and the Muslims. By 1969, not long after the Six Days’ War, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was given extraterritorial rights in Lebanon, which once again added fuel to the conflict. Furthermore, the Cold War split the pro-western Maronites and pro-Soviet Arabs.

What was the Lebanese government like before the war?

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Throughout its history as an independent country, Lebanon’s system of government was based off of a unique system of confessionalism, which allocated government positions to representatives from certain religious communities. In Lebanon, this meant that the three most influential posts of President, Speaker of Parliament, and Prime Minister were respectively assigned to a Maronite Christian, a Shia Muslim, and a Sunni Muslim. Before the civil war, this also meant that parliament was divided in a six-to-five ratio of Christians to Muslims. Unfortunately, this ratio was based off of outdated census data, and by 1975, Muslims were consistently underrepresented.

Which domestic groups were involved?

The Lebanese Civil War saw fighting between many different secular and nonsecular groups from 1975 to 1990, with frequent shifting of alliances. To simplify, we will just be looking at the main factions which encompass most of the almost two dozen militias involved in this conflict.

Which foreign groups were involved?

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A lot of foreign nations and intergovernmental forces were involved in the Lebanese Civil War. The major ones are listed below.

How many people have been affected?

Up to 250,000 people died in the conflict. Over 1 million total people were displaced, and up to a quarter million were displaced permanently. In regards to ethnicity, the war killed more Muslim Lebanese than Christians. Numerous acts of violence occurred against ethnic and religious groups throughout Lebanon, particularly the Palestinians.

There were thousands of foreign casualties, which include soldiers from the US, Israeli, and Arab militaries. The UNIFIL has also suffered 250 casualties since its creation.

As of 2012, up to 76,000 people remain internally displaced in Lebanon.

What is the spatial extent of this conflict?

The war was fought throughout Lebanon. The capital, Beirut, was a spot of major fighting throughout the war. The East was largely controlled by Syria, the South by Israel and the UN. Arab and Western militaries were all involved in the conflict. Up to a quarter of a million Lebanese were displaced permanently to other countries.

What is the outcome of the conflict?

President Amine Gamayel appointed General Michael Aoun as Prime Minister in 1988. The Taif Agreement was signed in 1989 by surviving members of the 1972 Lebanese Parliament, which established a 1:1 Christian-to-Muslim representation in the Lebanese Parliament, amending the previous 6:5 representation, and granted more power to the traditionally Muslim position of Prime Minister. Aoun refused to accept the agreement, and was forced into exile after unsuccessfully engaging in a “war of liberation” against Syria that culminated in the October 13 massacre. All militias were disarmed in 1991 with the exception of Hezbollah, which continued its resistance against Israel.

What is the current status of the nation?

Hezbollah and Amal, two groups involved in the fighting, currently hold seats in the Lebanese parliament. Michel Aoun was just elected President of Lebanon on October 31.

However, The sectarian splits that occurred during the war were never closed. Even today, few Beirut neighborhoods are mixed and there still remains lots of discrimination. Political parties often disagree on what happened during the war, and school textbooks don’t discuss the civil war.

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Michel Aoun