Editorial: The Deconstruction of Independence and the National Pact

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Eighty years… Three-quarters of a century have gone by since Lebanon’s independence was proclaimed in the context of a power struggle between the French mandate and Great Britain. An independence that was ushered in alongside the formulation of a National Pact crafted by the recognized “fathers of independence,” Bechara el-Khoury and Riad el-Solh. They respectively held the positions of the first President of the Republic and the Prime Minister of the newly independent Lebanon.

Over time, the Land of the Cedars has witnessed unwarranted regional interventions and multiple foreign occupations, whether direct or by proxy. Over the decades, independence as such, as well as the National Pact have been disregarded and undermined. They have borne the brunt of a systematic deconstruction strategy targeting the very foundations of the country’s constitutional and administrative framework, as well as its crucial sectors at various levels. This has led to extended periods of chronic destabilization, characterized by wars and intense power struggles. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that both independence and the National Pact resulted from top-level agreements, lacking unequivocal endorsement from the general public at the grassroots level.

Alongside Syria’s perennial – and futile – aspirations towards Lebanon, the first significant upheaval to rock the foundations of independence and the National Pact unfolded in 1958 propelled by the Pan-Arab ambitions of Egyptian President Jamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser’s approach, centered on Pan-Arab nationalism, resonated strongly with a significant portion of the Sunni street. This alignment, however, stood in direct contradiction to the spirit of the Pact, which rested on the Lebanese refusal to align with the West or engage in Arab union endeavors.

Fouad Chehab’s astuteness and statesmanship were instrumental in restoring order. Yet, these efforts were meager in the face of successive regional upheavals, thrusting the nation into protracted periods of occupation— first Palestinian, then Israeli, followed by Syrian, and today Iranian, often mediated through proxy militias.

Addressing the notion of independence amidst an occupation seems futile and illusory. More significantly, there’s a deliberate undermining of the core tenets of the National Pact on the part of certain local groups. At times, their public statements and political alignments depict a stance more aligned with Palestinians than the Palestinians themselves, more sympathetic to Syrians than the Syrians, and more supportive of Iranians than the Iranians. They have even gone so far as to endorse a “privileged” alliance, or rather, complete submission to the ruling mentor.

The foundational principle of “neither East, nor West” upon which the 1943 Pact is founded has been consistently disregarded over the decades, leading the Lebanese into near-perpetual cycles of infernal instability. In recent years, the peak of the Pact’s violations has been marked by a steadfast effort to align Lebanon with the Iranian sphere — either through the use of military force or, more alarmingly, under the sway of a religious ideology that implies unwavering allegiance to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in matters of strategic importance.

The unwavering allegiance to such an ideology and the unapologetic prioritization of Iranian interests over Lebanese concerns starkly contradict the essence of the National Pact. To question this treaty is to undermine the very core and distinctive identity of the Country of the Cedars.

For Lebanon to restore harmony among its diverse communities and, consequently, reclaim its independence, a (political) struggle must be waged with the aim of returning to the spirit of the Pact. The Mutasarrifiya era, spanning from 1860 to 1915, marked Lebanon’s most stable and prosperous period. It highlighted a fundamental and unequivocal reality: a status of neutrality — let’s be straightforward about it — can help Lebanon regain its independence and restore a harmonious balance among the various communal components of the country. On this 80th anniversary of “independence,” this is the greatest challenge that must urgently be addressed, whatever the cost may be.