Getting to Arab Democracy: Lebanon Springs Forward

Issue Date January 2006
Volume 17
Issue 1
Page Numbers 22-37
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The article describes the turbulent months in Lebanon starting with the violent assassination of its prime minister in February 2005 that led to the pullout of the Syrian troops from the country to the landmark legislative elections—free of foreign interference for the first time in 29 years—that took place in early summer.  The essay sheds light on the complexity of the Lebanese confessional system and traces the evolution of its polity since the making of the country in 1926. Finally, it concludes with recommendations for the future of the country.