I had the chance to visit it for a wedding 15 years ago and I have to say that Lebanon is an interesting country. People were extremely welcoming, and they have a quite a bustling social life, especially in Beirut.
I will add some comments that I think might be relevant to the overall context. The Christian population used to be a majority in the country in the 60s (up to 55%), and it has shifted over the years, mainly due to the Lebanese diaspora (4 million Lebanese people live currently abroad, almost as much as in Lebanon). Lebanese diaspora explains a lot of the internal dynamics of the country.
The other comment is around the Druze population. Their religion, more than an offshoot of Islam should be consider a syncretic religion that takes a bit of several Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism, but also quite a lot of chunks of Greek philosophy. One of the most interesting things that I saw during the weeks I spent in Lebanon was how Muslims and Christians were equally marginalizing the Druze population. I never got anything more than "they are not to be trusted" from anyone in Lebanon, which didn't sound great (of course, this was just my personal experience with the people I dealt with).
Waiting for more on this and see what you will cover. There is a lot to talk about this country!
Interesting. I had no idea about the Druze. I wonder if this is widespread, but it definitely highlights the theme of this article. Thanks for sharing!
You mainly wouldn't have an idea about it because it's a mystery religion. Secular Druze can't explain it to anyone because they don't know either. It requires effort and social standing to be initiated into it. The Druze I know are from growing up near them in a mixed city (Haifa, Israel), serving with them in the army. They're fantastic people, loyal, outstanding citizens, as far as I know in any country they live in.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your insightful article on Lebanon's rich history. As someone born in Lebanon, I truly appreciate how beautifully you captured the essence of the country’s past and highlighted its resilience and cultural heritage. Your piece not only resonated with me but also serves as an important reminder of the depth and diversity that Lebanon represents.
I look forward to reading more of your work and hope to see another article that continues to spread awareness about this remarkable country. Oh and I'm also a big fan of your work keep it up ! :)
I'm not sure why you didn't mention that Lebanon's current poverty and de-facto failed state reality. is directly related to Iran's political takeover of the country through its Hezbollah proxy. There isn't a country in the entire region where Iran hasn't meddled via a Shia Islamist proxy that hasn't turned either into a civil war or a failed state.
That would explain how Israel has such fantastic human intelligence resources in Lebanon and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and why Arabs and Iranians celebrated in Lebanon, Syria and Iran when Nasrallah was eliminated.
Selfish request: I'm still waiting for the Austria post you mentioned in the past if you're ever unsure of what to post next. But I'll gladly read anything you write so no pressure :)
I just wanted to write and say - Thank you for such a well written, and put together article. Plenty of input for a 'beginner' like me to appreciate, and I neither felt the article was overly simplistic, nor too in-depth with arguments and counter-arguments of why something is (or is not).
Fantastic use of maps and images to explain as well. I have sent on to a number of friends. Thank you again
This was an absolutely fascinating article. I feel enlightened (at least on this). A country that has remained the same for centuries obviously will behave differently to those with different geo-political determination.
TOTALLY CREATIVE & BRILLIANT - THANKS FOR BEING SO THOUGHTFUL. I WILL BE SHARING IT WITH MANY OTHERS, AND WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A CHAT ANYTIME YOU HAVE A MOMENT.
Thanks! When I was writing that sentence I was thinking of the Old Testament's stories, so many of which cover pastoralists in the region. Now corrected!
About "Eventually, these tensions led to an invasion of Israel and international intervention": What part is not true? The arrival of Palestinians meant attacks from there into Israel started happening, which a weak Lebanese government could not prevent. And when Israel responded to these attacks, Muslims in Lebanon supported Palestinians, while Maronites supported Israelis. So in turn, Israelis supported Maronite militias, including the SLA.
Why do you call it a Muslim occupation when you state that we Maronite Catholics and fellow Orthodox Christians have survived due to our geography? Why do you call it Muslim occupation? Muslims had their geographical settlements too... Better call it the occupation of a particular country, not a religion. That's the only wrong, umprecise and unfair fact in your article. Otherwise I find a good synthesis and compact analysis of our origins and situation in History and in the current events.
There I’m not referring to the people but the governments. Between the Umayyad Caliphate and the Ottomans, that was a Muslim occupation of the land, wasn’t it? Before that, there were Roman occupations, Greek, Babylonian…
I had the chance to visit it for a wedding 15 years ago and I have to say that Lebanon is an interesting country. People were extremely welcoming, and they have a quite a bustling social life, especially in Beirut.
I will add some comments that I think might be relevant to the overall context. The Christian population used to be a majority in the country in the 60s (up to 55%), and it has shifted over the years, mainly due to the Lebanese diaspora (4 million Lebanese people live currently abroad, almost as much as in Lebanon). Lebanese diaspora explains a lot of the internal dynamics of the country.
The other comment is around the Druze population. Their religion, more than an offshoot of Islam should be consider a syncretic religion that takes a bit of several Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism, but also quite a lot of chunks of Greek philosophy. One of the most interesting things that I saw during the weeks I spent in Lebanon was how Muslims and Christians were equally marginalizing the Druze population. I never got anything more than "they are not to be trusted" from anyone in Lebanon, which didn't sound great (of course, this was just my personal experience with the people I dealt with).
Waiting for more on this and see what you will cover. There is a lot to talk about this country!
Interesting. I had no idea about the Druze. I wonder if this is widespread, but it definitely highlights the theme of this article. Thanks for sharing!
You mainly wouldn't have an idea about it because it's a mystery religion. Secular Druze can't explain it to anyone because they don't know either. It requires effort and social standing to be initiated into it. The Druze I know are from growing up near them in a mixed city (Haifa, Israel), serving with them in the army. They're fantastic people, loyal, outstanding citizens, as far as I know in any country they live in.
Great article about an interesting geological area. The Levant has a fascinating history.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your insightful article on Lebanon's rich history. As someone born in Lebanon, I truly appreciate how beautifully you captured the essence of the country’s past and highlighted its resilience and cultural heritage. Your piece not only resonated with me but also serves as an important reminder of the depth and diversity that Lebanon represents.
I look forward to reading more of your work and hope to see another article that continues to spread awareness about this remarkable country. Oh and I'm also a big fan of your work keep it up ! :)
Joseph
Thank you!!
I'm not sure why you didn't mention that Lebanon's current poverty and de-facto failed state reality. is directly related to Iran's political takeover of the country through its Hezbollah proxy. There isn't a country in the entire region where Iran hasn't meddled via a Shia Islamist proxy that hasn't turned either into a civil war or a failed state.
I did!
I said the geography creates superpower meddling and they use existing internal factionalism. Iran and Hizbullah are just one instance
I'm not sure why you didn't mention that Israel has caused more death and destruction in Lebanon in the last 20 years than Iran or Hezbollah?
That's an interesting statement. How did you reach that conclusion? I'd be curious about that data.
What kind of data are you looking for? It's easy to search for 'number of civilian deaths in Israel Lebanon conflicts' on Wikipedia or Google.
That would explain how Israel has such fantastic human intelligence resources in Lebanon and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and why Arabs and Iranians celebrated in Lebanon, Syria and Iran when Nasrallah was eliminated.
👏👏👏 Well done, very informative esp. with clear graphics.
Very interesting read. It completes the Israel article you published before.
This was a really fantastic read. Thank you.
Selfish request: I'm still waiting for the Austria post you mentioned in the past if you're ever unsure of what to post next. But I'll gladly read anything you write so no pressure :)
Hahahaha I have a draft!
But then I realized you can’t do Austria without the Habsburg and that is a massive undertaking. So it will take time!
That is definitely something I can relate to! Fortunately I still have many many older posts of yours to read and re-read.
I just wanted to write and say - Thank you for such a well written, and put together article. Plenty of input for a 'beginner' like me to appreciate, and I neither felt the article was overly simplistic, nor too in-depth with arguments and counter-arguments of why something is (or is not).
Fantastic use of maps and images to explain as well. I have sent on to a number of friends. Thank you again
I’m glad to hear!
This was an absolutely fascinating article. I feel enlightened (at least on this). A country that has remained the same for centuries obviously will behave differently to those with different geo-political determination.
Excellent article, well done!
Wow this was so fascinating! I got sucked in by the maps and history. Thank you for making it so digestible and easy to follow. Great work
TOTALLY CREATIVE & BRILLIANT - THANKS FOR BEING SO THOUGHTFUL. I WILL BE SHARING IT WITH MANY OTHERS, AND WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A CHAT ANYTIME YOU HAVE A MOMENT.
Thx!
This is where I hang out!
Great article!
France gave majority power to the Maronite minority, and were surprised they collapsed into civil war? Not buying it
Totally predictable outcome
"Eventually, these tensions led to an invasion of Israel and international intervention"
What? Not true. Also not true that "Judea and Samaria" are part of Israel (they are the West Bank).
These are not small errors.
Thanks! When I was writing that sentence I was thinking of the Old Testament's stories, so many of which cover pastoralists in the region. Now corrected!
About "Eventually, these tensions led to an invasion of Israel and international intervention": What part is not true? The arrival of Palestinians meant attacks from there into Israel started happening, which a weak Lebanese government could not prevent. And when Israel responded to these attacks, Muslims in Lebanon supported Palestinians, while Maronites supported Israelis. So in turn, Israelis supported Maronite militias, including the SLA.
Unrelated, but I found that sentence a bit confusing. I think it's the use of the passive voice.
Why do you call it a Muslim occupation when you state that we Maronite Catholics and fellow Orthodox Christians have survived due to our geography? Why do you call it Muslim occupation? Muslims had their geographical settlements too... Better call it the occupation of a particular country, not a religion. That's the only wrong, umprecise and unfair fact in your article. Otherwise I find a good synthesis and compact analysis of our origins and situation in History and in the current events.
Thx!
There I’m not referring to the people but the governments. Between the Umayyad Caliphate and the Ottomans, that was a Muslim occupation of the land, wasn’t it? Before that, there were Roman occupations, Greek, Babylonian…