Interview with LAU’s Dr. Imad Salamey: The Government and Politics of Lebanon
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| Dr. Imad Salamey |
Interview
with LAU’s Dr. Imad Salamey
The
Government and Politics of Lebanon*
Interviewed by Ihsan Alkhatib, PhD
Dr. Imad Salamey, a professor at the Lebanese
American University in Beirut, Lebanon has written a textbook on the politics
of Lebanon, The Government and Politics of Lebanon. Dr. Salamey is a former resident of the Detroit area. The
Forum and Link (F & L) interviewed Dr. Salamey via email regarding his book
and the political situation in Lebanon. Below are excerpts.
-F & L: Thank you Dr. Salamey
for doing the interview and congratulations on your new book. Tell the reader a
little bit about yourself.
Salamey: I am
an associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the
Lebanese American University (LAU), President of the Center for Arab Research
and Development (CARD), and Executive Board Member of the Institute for the
Study of Conflict, Security and Development (CSDS) at Richmond American
International University in London. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from
Wayne State University. I am the author of The Government and Politics of Lebanon
(Routledge) as well as many journal articles, most recent is “The collapse
of Middle Eastern authoritarianism” in Third World Quarterly and
“US-French collaboration on Lebanon” in Middle East Journal. My research
d writing includes studies, editorials, assessments, and reports that provide
strategic examination and analysis of Lebanese and Middle Eastern politics. I am
a consultant for various International Organizations on issues related to
Middle Eastern public policy, elections, rule of law, human rights, power
sharing, security, and defense.
F & L: How is it like to be living in Lebanon
today?
Because Lebanon is confronting political turmoil and
instabilities, living in the country has been a challenge. It is difficult to remain in a continuous state
of alert as the situation is fragile and sectarian- charged rhetoric often stirs
street fights. The conflict in Syria,
the influx of refugees, and the divisions among Lebanese on Hezbollah military
intervention in Syria have only added to the already fragmented and deeply
divided communities. The daily return of fighters killed or injured from Syria along
heightened sectarian charged polarization are reasons for deepening hatred
among Lebanese sectarian communities: Sunni and Shia in particular. The spillover of the Syrian conflict into
Lebanon is already being materialized by threats for revenge and counter
revenge and car bombs exploding in Sunni and Shia populated areas. The
Iraqinization of Lebanon is becoming a greater reality day by day as Sunni and
Shia Islamist groups are increasingly resorting to violence against one another
to attain what are political objectives.
F & L: This is very serious. We hope
that you and your family stay safe. Tell me about your textbook?
The Government and Politics of Lebanon
attempts to examine the origin of sectarianism and traces its development at
various historic junctures. It admits to the fact that Lebanese politics is
strongly rooted in sectarian mobilizations that have shaped the Lebanese
government and institutions. State
consociationalism, a term coined by political scientist Arend Lijphart, has
been the manifestation of sectarian politics where power is divided and shared. Sectarian consociationalism is asserted in
the book as both a blessing and a curse.
Such a governance structure has provided the various groups decentralized communal autonomies and
prevented a strong state, possibly oppressive, from emerging. The result is a relative sectarian balance of
power, political freedom, and the prevention of a dictatorship or a
monarchy. On the other hand, a weak
state and fragmented polity prone to external meddling and interventions have
produced a chronic state of instability and repeated collapses. The current Sunni-Shia standoff is only the
expression of the latest trend in foreign interventions and sectarian struggle
for power after being Maronite vs. Druze
(mid 19th Century) and Muslim vs. Christian (throughout the 20th
Century) and now it is Sunni-Shia with the Christians divided between the two
camps.
The book is the culmination of four years of
research and investigation during which I engaged in different assessments to
government institutions, public opinion polls, and interviews with policy
makers and civil society leaders. The
book provides international students, diplomats, general readers, and
researchers with an intensive and comprehensive read about Lebanon and its
political dynamic. Students of Middle
Eastern politics and comparative politics will find an in-depth analysis of
power sharing dilemma in a deeply divided and transitional societies as
exemplified by the Lebanese consociational model. The book is currently/in the process of being
utilized at many universities.
For those who might be in Beirut I will be having a
book signing ceremony at the International Beirut Arab Book Conference, on 11
December, 2013 at 7:30 pm. The book is
available in most libraries and book stores and can be ordered online through
Rutledge or Amazon: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415636889/
F & L: Thank you doing the interview. We hope
the situation improves in Lebanon. Stay safe.
Salamey: Thank you to the Forum and Link, its staff
and its publisher Dr. Assad Dandashli for this interview. I wish you many more
years of success.
*Interview will appear in the Forum and Link next
week. www.forumandlink.com
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