Wasted peace in Lebanon: from the end of the civil war to the radicalization of Sunni youth

Lebanon’s civil war ended in 1990 with the Taëf Accord that rebalanced power between religious communities, taking some away from the Maronites to the benefit of the Sunnis and Shias. However, the Syria conflict that broke in 2011 demonstrated that a number of Lebanese Sunnis were susceptible to radicalization as some perpetrated suicide-attacks and many involved in violent actions: peace has not ultimately taken root in the minds of many. This paper ambitions to understand why. Three routes will be explored. The first relates to the interplay of regional and domestic dynamics: how do regional conflicts feed into internal politics? The second focuses on factors that help explain why people are susceptible to radicalization in a context of alleged peace: our fieldwork points at social and economic disenfranchisement, lack of equity and justice and a decay of authority. The third ponders who were the direct beneficiaries of post-1990 peace. Disaggregating religious communities, it will explore how some leaders have confiscated peace dividends at the expenses of their constituencies. Beyond, the paper argues that peace is a multilevel achievement resulting from both international and transnational dynamics and in which individuals are key players that theories need to factor in.