Results found: 2

Search results

Sort By:

Limit search:

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

100%

Issa A.

Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka

2022

vol. XLVIII

issue 3

247-256

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.

The Fragmented Middle East: Persistent Insecurity, Rising Instability

100%

Issa A.

Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka

2021

vol. XLIV

issue 3

169-178

After the 9/11 attacks, the Middle East became the centre of the American military interventions. After Afghanistan in 2001, the US decided to invade Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein in order to bring democracy to the country. In 2021, Iraq is still suffering from a number of problems – social, economic, but also political and security-related – as foreign interference and terrorist attacks have become inherent to the Iraqi daily life. In the Arab spring context, Syria and Egypt saw massive demonstrations, leading firstly to civil and proxy wars and to the proliferation of terrorist groups; and secondly, to the re-establishment of a dictatorship facing many security challenges. The Lebanese case is more complex. The fragility of the state and the predominance of sectarianism and the states within a state phenomenon, to which we can add two major refugee issues with the Palestinians and the Syrians, as well as an aggressive neighbour in the South and constant foreign interference, make the national security concept debatable among the population and political leaders, preventing a concrete national security strategy from being established. With the current economic crisis, a new dimension of national security is added to the state which is already struggling to ensure its duties towards its population. Through these case studies, this article aims to present how each of these countries perceives its national security and the problems it is facing in order to suggest some recommendations for long-term sustainable responses to some of these challenges.

Po ataku na Centrum Handlu Światowego (World Trade Center – WTC) we wrześniu 2001 r. Bliski Wschód stał się centralnym punktem amerykańskiej interwencji wojskowej. Chaos powiększyła kolejna interwencja amerykańska w Iraku w ramach operacji „Iracka Wolność” w 2003 r. W swoim artykule autor podkreśla, że obecnie, dwadzieścia lat po ataku na WTC, region Bliskiego Wschodu pozostaje regionem niebezpiecznym, ze zdestabilizowaną architekturą bezpieczeństwa narodowego i bezpieczeństwa regionalnego. Analizując sytuację w czterech wybranych krajach: Iraku, Syrii, Libanie oraz Egipcie, udowadnia tezę postawioną na początku artykułu. Wskazuje wyraźnie, że wielotysięczne demonstracje z okresu tzw. Arabskiej Wiosny nie przyniosły zamierzonego efektu, przyczyniając się do kryzysów humanitarnych, masowej migracji czy wręcz umocnienia władzy autorytarnych liderów.

Refine search results

2 Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka

2 Issa A.

1 2022

1 2021

Search results

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

The Fragmented Middle East: Persistent Insecurity, Rising Instability