Lebanon: The Refugee Issue and the Threat of a Sectarian Confrontation (original) (raw)
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Refugees of the Arab Spring: The Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Refugees of the Arab Spring: The Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, 2012
“Refugees of the Arab Spring”: The Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, Research Paper Series No. 1/2012, Carthage Center for Research and Information (CCRI) of the Lebanese Development Network (LDN) and the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC) of Notre Dame University (NDU), published by the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) of the American University of Cairo (AUC), 2012, [ISSN 2221-3333]. This review of one year's influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon is meant to reveal the political, communitarian, and humanitarian factors that shape the State of Lebanon's policy towards it. The Lebanese government has lately adopted a ‘disassociation’ policy regarding the Syrian conflict with the objective of preventing the spill-over of the conflict and the destabilization of the country. Regional and international powers well understand the reasons for this policy, given Lebanon's geopolitical situation, its history, and its "special ties' with Syria. However, while Lebanon might be able to disassociate itself from the political entanglements of the Syrian crisis, it cannot distance itself from dealing with the growing numbers of Syrian refugees on its territory. A policy of neglect has characterized the Lebanese government’s de facto relationship to the humanitarian crisis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Their basic needs for shelter, education, and medical assistance have been met by a combination of packages devised, without Lebanon’s participation, by the UN and the latter’s implementing partners. The Lebanese government has also allowed unsupervised religious charities to dominate refugee assistance, adding to a sectarian approach to the Syrian refugee crisis. This policy is beginning to feed back into the tensions that already divide ethnic and religious groups in the country. Against the background of these findings, this report analyzes the need for the Lebanese authorities to design an adequate refugee protection framework in consultation with the UNHCR and to devise a temporary protection status for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. A new agreement or Memorandum of Understanding between Lebanon and UNHCR should take into consideration Lebanon's complex history with refugees on its territory and the political consequences of hosting refugees from a neighboring state. This approach would facilitate Lebanon's obligation to abide by international refugee protection laws while, most importantly from the point of view of Lebanese sovereignty, preventing a further spillover of the Syrian conflict into Lebanon. Consequently, such a framework could provide a model for an adequate regional response to other migration flows of Arab Spring refugees in the Middle East.
Refugees and political stability in Lebanon
Ortadoğu Etütleri, 2014
This article compares the Palestinian and Syrian refugee crises on political stability in Lebanon. Debates over the “implanta- tion” (tawteen) of the Palestinian refugee community, along- side the increasing militarization of the community after 1970 were key factors in the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon in 1975. The arrival of over 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon since 2011 has raised similar concerns of whether Lebanon will again witness political collapse and civil conflict. Howev- er, it is argued that whilst the current refugee crisis in Lebanon is broadly comparative to the events of the early 1970s, the scale of the current refugee crisis alongside the different pro- file of the refugee community has created different dynamics. Specifically, the blurring of lines between the host community and the refugee community through familial, personal, and other links makes the dynamics of refugee politics in Lebanon today markedly different from that of the early 1970s. In ad- dition, where Lebanese political actors had initially sought to politicize the refugee issue, the scale of the crisis has made this a national, not political issue, serving to reduce the distance between political opponents in the country. This is not to ar- gue that the current crisis does not pose potentially existential challenges to the Lebanese state. Instead, the nature of the crisis is such that efforts at isolating the refugee “problem”, as took place before and after the Lebanese civil war, are not possible today.
Refugee and Demographic Change: Syrian Refugee in Lebanon and the Rise of the New Conflict
2019
The aim of this paper is to examine the influx of Syrian refugee flow and how it affects the population and shapes the demographic changes in Lebanon. Over the years, the demographic balance in Lebanon was determined by the sectarian balance which managed through its confessional proportional political system. The massive exodus of Syrian refugee in Lebanon has changed the country’s demographic composition in which majority of Syrian refugee comes from Moslem Sunni. Thus, it challenges the other groups of Christian Maronite, Moslem Shia, and Druze that fears for the loss of their predominance in Lebanon. This paper argues that the presence of Syrian refugee has challenged the sectarian balance in Lebanon. This unbalanced condition has further endangered Lebanon security and exacerbated its stability and placed both refugees and Lebanese into serious violent conflict. Thus, the condition further challenges the human security aspect for both disputed parties. Key words: Refugee, Demog...
The Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon
One of the most dramatic consequences of the Syrian civil war has been the massive displacement of civilians in and outside of Syria. Syrian refugees now constitute more than a quarter of the population in Lebanon. Although the government declared a policy of disassociation – a policy of professed neutrality regarding Syria – this has been undermined due to the presence of a plethora of actors with differing interests. Refugee flow has had severe impacts on national security and the economy, leading to further destabilization in Lebanon. The refugee flow has placed a serious burden on public services delivery including education, healthcare, housing, sanitation, water, and electricity, as well as on physical infrastructure which has lacked adequate capacity. Labor competition and the feeling that Syrians receive different financial treatment has generated ambivalent attitutes and resentments among locals. Both government and public concerns regarding the Syrian crisis and refugees may increase sectarian volatility and deepen pre-existing tensions due to the long and tortured history of Syria-Lebanon relations and increasing involvement of Hezbollah in Syria. One extreme risk might be the militarization of refugees. A strong government and regional/international support are vital for Lebanon to ensure stability in such a destabilizing situation.
Lebanon: At the Edge of Another Civil War
DergiPark (Istanbul University), 2008
As the 2006 Israel attack divided Lebanese people into pro-Hezbollah and pro-Western lines, Lebanon has fallen into chaos among its sectarian groups for the first time after the 1975 Civil War. As the eruption of violence in May 2008 left at least 81 people dead and as Lebanon was politically paralysed, the opponent parties decided to withdraw from step back the Gulf Emirate of Qatar. To manage the inherent problems of a country having 17 religious minorities, a weak central state built on power-sharing and a violent history, it is essential to determine the internal and external factors influencing the country's political situation. In this context, this article argues that any agreement reached by the outer forces for Lebanon's peace and stability ignores the Lebanese reality and lacks an enduring solution to the long unresolved conflicts in the country. To understand the underlying factors causing conflicts in the country, it is crucial to note internal and external dynamics constituting modern Lebanon's politic structures' weaknesses.
This political brief aims at presenting the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon by highlighting the centrality of politics to the plight of refugees. Having been forced to flee Syria, we argue that Syrian refugees are stuck in Lebanon without a coherent policy framework and may be forced to return home without any guarantees of safety or stability. The situation of Syrian refugees cannot be analyzed without an understanding of the Lebanese political scene between 2011 and 2018. This political brief is addressed to Lebanese policy-makers in their capacity as responsible for navigating every-day politics and for developing a strategy for the protection and return of refugees. The Lebanese government is constantly negotiating its position with the international community, as well as with national counterparts, regarding refugees. Politics continues to be central in this negotiation process and in shaping the response to the crisis. By focusing on the relational aspect of politics and refugee response, this brief highlights the plight of Syrian refugees and offers potential recommendations.
11 Years On: Revisiting the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon
Lebanon's plummeting economic crisis has put Syrian refugees in a precarious condition. The cycle of dispossession, exile, and persecution continues to permeate the lives of Syrian refugees who are sprinkled across the region and live in a constant state of fear. Freelance Journalist, Mikail Malik speaks to those on the ground to get a clearer picture of what is at stake for Syrians and the region at large.