LEBANON is a fragile country held together by common sense. As a distinct nation, it has been involved in 21 pre-colonial wars, two colonial wars and 11 post-colonial wars. It has 18 officially recognised religious sects: 12 Christian, four Muslim, the Druze and Judaism. Its experiences in conflicts have taught it to evolve a system of proportional representation with its 128 parliamentary seats evenly shared between Christians and Muslims. The Presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister, a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker, a Shi’a Muslim.
Lebanon’s 15-year Civil War from 1975 involved the armies of France, United Kingdom, Syria, Israel, Italy and the United States. The Americans began pulling out of that war following the 1983 suicide attacks on its embassy and Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut in which 241 US Marines and 17 non-combatant Americans were killed. The Americans believe that the Hezbollah carried out that attack and designated it a…
