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Resume Communal

After Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943, tensions arose around upholding the country's neutral foreign policy orientation. Some Christian leaders called for distancing from Arab and Muslim influence, while some Sunni leaders supported unity with Syria. However, these positions had little effect on most of the population. Regional events like the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the rise of Arab nationalism led by Nasser caused divisions in Lebanon's political unity and perception as an independent nation. The Baghdad Pact of 1955 further split Arab countries and politics in Lebanon along pro-Western and anti-imperialist lines.

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41 views1 page

Resume Communal

After Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943, tensions arose around upholding the country's neutral foreign policy orientation. Some Christian leaders called for distancing from Arab and Muslim influence, while some Sunni leaders supported unity with Syria. However, these positions had little effect on most of the population. Regional events like the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the rise of Arab nationalism led by Nasser caused divisions in Lebanon's political unity and perception as an independent nation. The Baghdad Pact of 1955 further split Arab countries and politics in Lebanon along pro-Western and anti-imperialist lines.

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mariebelle moussa
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Resume communal pact of national identities

After independence, reactions to regional developments that had a direct impact on the
National Pact mirrored the genuine aspirations of the masses. The signing of the
Alexandria Protocol in 1944 provoked a negative Christian reaction. In reality, the Arab
League contributed to the legitimization and consolidation of the separate political
entities of its member countries.
Lebanon's independence from France in 1943 constituted another test to Christian
willingness to uphold the National Pact's 'neutral' foreign policy orientation. The Paris
government's demand to sign a military treaty with Lebanon was consistently rebuffed by
president Khoury, who made it clear that France would have no special privileges in an
independent Lebanon. After two years of negotiations with French, British, and later
American officials, an agreement was finally reached in March 1946 and the last French
units evacuated Lebanese territory by the end of the year. The dissolution of conseil des
interrets commun by riad el soleh was challenging and The President's firm stand against
the Syrian government, particularly Khalid al-Azm and other pro-Syrian Lebanese Sunni
notables, brought about the economic separation from Syria.
Some Sunni leaders were inclined to support Syria when it appeared ready to take over
Lebanon. Maronite calls for a moderate Arab policy or perhaps an independent pre-1920
political entity shielded from 'Arab-Muslim' rule ran parallel to Sunni demands for Arab
and/or Syrian unification. However, these were demands that had little to no effect on the
populace and were partly sparked by conflicts among the elite. Ignatius Mubarak, the
Maronite Bishop of Beirut, who was one of the first to criticize the French and an
outspoken promoter of the idea of a Christian national home in Lebanon, criticized Emile
Edde's pro-French policies. Mubarak even attempted a "revolt" against the authorities in
1947, but both the patriarch and important Maronite figures condemned him for his
actions. Events arising from regional changes over which Lebanon had little influence
were more disruptive to the process of national formation. Although Lebanon's
participation in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War was viewed as a sign of national unity, later
regional events caused significant rifts in the public's perception of the country. By the
middle of the 1970s, the Arab regimes were split into two groups: the pro-Western camp,
led by Iraq, and the "anti-imperialist" movement, led by Nasser. The Baghdad Pact,
which was signed in 1955, inevitably led to greater differences among the Arab world,
which were reflected in Lebanese politics. Most Lebanese Muslims and powerful
Christians opposed President Chamoun's pro-Western stance.
Prior to the rise of Nasser, regional disturbances such as the 1948 war and Syria's
successive military takeovers had few destabilizing effects on Lebanon's domestic
politics. This was partly due to Solh's cautious attitude towards Syria's military regimes,
and that officers who took power in Damascus did not instantly become credible Arab
nationalists in the eyes of Lebanon's Sunni leadership.

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