Lebanese nationalism

Lebanese nationalism, a nationalistic ideology, considers the Lebanese people as a distinct nation independent from the Arab world. The ideology considers the Lebanese people to be direct descendants of the Phoenicians.

Flag of Lebanon.

Map of Phoenicia.

Map of Phoenicia and its Mediterranean trade routes.

Christian Church and Druze Khalwa in Shuf Mountains: The Maronites and the Druze set the foundation for what is now Lebanon in the early 18th century.[1]

The Druzite and Maronite community in Lebanon played an important role in the formation of the modern state of Lebanon in the early 18th century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate[1] This ideology is rooted in the 19th-century sectarian war between the Maronites and Druze that occurred in Mount Lebanon. It took its formalized form during the inter-war period and the French Mandate of Syria, when it served primarily as a tool in opposing Arab nationalism and in justifying the existence of the nascent country of Lebanon.

During the 20th century, especially during the Lebanese Civil War, Lebanese nationalism was associated with the Kataeb Party, Lebanese Forces, National Liberal Party and secularist movements like Guardians of the Cedars, National Bloc and the Lebanese Renewal Party, spearheaded by the renowned late Lebanese poet and philosopher Said Akl. It was also present among the Shiite Muslims of the Amal movement and a central ideology of its armed wing, the Lebanese Resistance Regiments.[2] Currently, it is present among the multi-confessional Lebanese Resistance Brigades subordinate to Hezbollah.[3] As a result, Lebanese nationalists have never formed a bloc, being very different ideologically and having divergent opinions on which allies to choose, all adding up to confessionalism.

Lebanese nationalism goes even further and incorporates irredentist views going beyond the Lebanese borders and seeks to unify all the lands of ancient Phoenicia around present-day Lebanon.[4] That comes from the fact that present-day Lebanon, the Mediterranean coast of Syria, and northern Israel is the area that roughly correspond to ancient Phoenicia and so most Lebanese people identify with the ancient Phoenician population of that region.[5] Therefore, the proposed Greater Lebanese country includes Lebanon, Mediterranean coast of Syria, and northern Israel.

The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Lebanese people is a blend of both indigenous elements and the foreign cultures that have come to rule the land and its people over the course of thousands of years. In a 2013 interview, the lead investigator, Pierre Zalloua, pointed out that genetic variation preceded religious variation and divisions: "Lebanon already had well-differentiated communities with their own genetic peculiarities, but not significant differences, and religions came as layers of paint on top. There is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly more Phoenician than another."[6]