Between Sovereignty and the Requirements of the Present Moment in Lebanon: The State’s Struggle with Internal Pressures and Regional Conflicts

INTRODUCTION

Lebanon has entered an extremely delicate period that may determine its political and security future in the years ahead. The issue is no longer merely the border tension with Israel or the technical negotiations surrounding the ceasefire. The problem concerns the essence of the state: who holds real decision-making power in Lebanon? The legitimate institutions of the state, or forces tied to regional axes that transcend Lebanon’s borders?
Today Lebanon stands in the middle of two parallel wars. The first is the external war with Israel, which has military and diplomatic dimensions; the second is the internal political division and institutional disintegration over the identity of the state and its security decisions. The coming months will show whether Lebanon turns towards rebuilding the state or entrenches an order of fragmentation and external dependence.