| Historical Development |
| It is perhaps appropriate, fifty years after independence, seventy-three years after the establishment of the Lebanese state in its present borders, eighteen years after the outbreak of a devastating internal war, and three years after its ending, to inquire afresh into the outlines of Lebanese nationalism.
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| Transformations During the War Years |
| This Hydra of competing conceptions of nationalism and political organization contributed to the breakdown of political order in the early 1970s, and exploded into armed conflict in 1975. more... |
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| Different Approaches to the Question of Nationalis |
| After this brief and necessarily selective review of some elements of Lebanese history and political orientations, what analysis can we offer regarding the question of Lebanese nationalism? In the following section I will employ three different approaches to the definition of nationhood and examine the Lebanese case from each perspective. It is possible to outline three broad categories within which the existence and independence of nation-states is justified: the expression of a national will; forces of history and culture; and the salience of a specific function or mission. more... |
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| The Argument from History |
| If we agree with Herder and Mazzini that nationalism is the organic result of certain historical forces, then we must look to Lebanon's past to determine how it scores on the scale of nationalism. Here the record is mixed because the history of Mount Lebanon differs markedly from the histories of the North, the South, and the Biqa`. In the same way, the history of the South - Jabal `Amil, for example - differs markedly from the histories of Tripoli or the Biqa`.
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| The Existence of a Mission or Function |
| It is possible to reinforce a nation-state's claim to existence and independence if one can show that it has a raison d'être, a specific function or role which helps justify its separate existence. If it performs an important and valuable role, then its existence as a separate and independent nation-state can also be said to be valuable.
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