Helen Mackreath - openDemocracy

On Lebanese sovereignty

The issue of what sovereignty means, and how it can be enforced, should not be confined to the defensive sphere alone. Increasing resentment against Syrians in the domestic sphere, and offhand statements about the army versus the law, do not augur well.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 26 Mar 2014

On Lebanese sovereignty

The issue of what sovereignty means, and how it can be enforced, should not be confined to the defensive sphere alone. Increasing resentment against Syrians in the domestic sphere, and offhand statements about the army versus the law, do not augur well.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 26 Mar 2014

Lebanon: a year which promises little but foreboding?

The feeling of being hamstrung by international events both out of their control but with direct consequences, combined with domestic political stalemate and factionalism, is all too familiar.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 16 Jan 2014

Lebanon: a year which promises little but foreboding?

The feeling of being hamstrung by international events both out of their control but with direct consequences, combined with domestic political stalemate and factionalism, is all too familiar.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 16 Jan 2014

Lebanon in turmoil

The environment in Lebanon continues to be highly fractured, with geographical enclaves hosting increasingly entrenched conflicts which are spewing out more private groups threatening to create greater national disunity.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 10 Dec 2013

Lebanon in turmoil

The environment in Lebanon continues to be highly fractured, with geographical enclaves hosting increasingly entrenched conflicts which are spewing out more private groups threatening to create greater national disunity.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 10 Dec 2013

Lebanese pluralism in a limbo of unknowns

Today a large proportion of individuals within Lebanon feel that the instabilities playing out are neither their responsibility nor fight. In contrast to the civil war, there is no incentive to stay.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 17 Sep 2013

Lebanon’s worsening strife

Politically, the country is a melting pot of regional and highly localised concerns, playing out along axes of political opportunism, religion and economic necessity, with various religious groups operating as local militias.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 28 Aug 2013

Non-state actors in Lebanon

Combined with the warnings of the collapse of state institutions and proliferation of corruption as a result of the absence of the state, the vacuum of sovereign responsibilities is increasing. A crippled economy does not help as more people turn to 'hybrid' state support.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 14 Aug 2013

What is happening to civil society in a disunited Lebanon?

Most popular frustration is aimed at the nexus of corruption between political elites, party militias, and the legal system in Lebanon. A lack of confidence in the judicial system is attracting much activism online onto facebook pages and twitter.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 9 Jul 2013

Lebanon: the changing role of sectarianism

Clashes in Sidon demonstrate fragmentation within sects, as Sunni Sheikh Assir’s isolated battle against the Lebanese army has been roundly condemned by the majority of the Sunni population.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 25 Jun 2013

Constraints on the internet in Lebanon

Freedom of speech stakes are far higher in Lebanon than other countries, owing to the tightrope walk along the delicate sectarian balance.

By Helen Mackreath

/ 10 Jun 2013