How to build a resilient society in a weak state: the case of Lebanon

The Beirut Port explosion brought to the world’s attention the long-term struggle of a population suffering from structural deficiencies due to the lack of efficient public policies and strong state institutions capable of fulfilling their primary roles. The weak Lebanese state is the victim of its rulers’ inability to ensure their population has access to its basic needs and rights. On the other hand, the population itself is stuck in a vicious circle due to the specificity of the Lebanese political culture that gives more power and allegiance to the community than the state itself, creating an atmosphere revolving around corruption, clientelism and violence, and leading to massive flow of educated young people who desperately want to but cannot help their country. In such circumstances, both the state and the population become a target for bigger regional powers that use the Lebanese territory as a battlefield for their own rivalries and interests. Consequently, and with an unprecedent economic crisis, building a resilient society in Lebanon is challenged by various obstacles that need to be addressed as a whole, by including the different actors involved in such processes and mostly the local population itself, whose role is indispensable in building lasting resilience and peace.