Lebanon
Lebanese Republic
Population
5.5M
GDP
$22.0B
Capital
Beirut
Government
Confessionalist parliamentar...
At a Glance
Human Development
0.7
HDI (0-1)
Democracy
4.4
EIU (0-10)
Press Freedom
—
RSF score
Corruption
—
TI CPI (0-100)
Innovation
—
GII score
Happiness
—
WHR (0-10)
Lebanon is a founding UN member and historically a cultural and financial center of the Arab world, known for its diverse confessional mosaic of Maronite Christians, Sunni and Shia Muslims, and Druze. The country's power-sharing system distributes government positions among sects but has also entrenched political dysfunction.
Lebanon has been devastated by a compounding series of crises -- a catastrophic economic collapse since 2019 (one of the worst globally since the 19th century), the 2020 Beirut port explosion, political paralysis, and the burden of hosting over one million Syrian refugees. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia-cum-political party, operates as a state-within-a-state, complicating Lebanon's sovereignty and its relations with Israel.
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As Lebanon, emphasize your country's pluralism, cultural heritage, and the burden of hosting a disproportionate refugee population. Call for international responsibility-sharing on refugees and reconstruction aid.
Navigate carefully between the Arab Group and Western allies. On Palestine and Israel, maintain the Arab consensus but avoid provocative stances given UNIFIL's role. Raise the economic crisis as an urgent humanitarian issue. Avoid being drawn into direct debates about Hezbollah -- frame sovereignty and territorial integrity as your priority. Seek French and Francophonie support on cultural and development issues.
Foreign Policy
Lebanon's foreign policy is constrained by its internal divisions, particularly between pro-Western factions and the Iran-allied Hezbollah bloc. The country officially pursues a policy of 'dissociation' from regional conflicts, though Hezbollah's involvement in Syria and confrontations with Israel undermine this. Lebanon relies heavily on international donors (France, Gulf states, the U.S.) and UNIFIL's presence along the southern border. The refugee crisis dominates its humanitarian diplomacy.