Power-sharing settlements intended to prevent recurring conflicts in divided societies have produced mixed outcomes. For decades, Lebanon’s power-sharing political system has been blamed for political instability, sectarian division, recurring conflicts, and foreign intervention. Lebanon today is an example of a confessional divided state where growing sectarian identity has triggered inter-community mistrust. The increasing sectarian division and conflicts since Lebanon gained its independence from France in 1943 has been attributed to the power-sharing political system. This essay, however, demonstrates that the root of the conflicts is the manipulation of that system by the political elites, by virtue of their strategic positions in the government, and political sectarian organizations and movements are capable of influencing political processes considerably. Through manipulative schemes of the power-sharing system, political elites were successful in transferring the power from the state to the religious sects and their political representatives, and thus reinforced sectarian division, weakened the state, and delayed the transition to full democracy. This essay takes Lebanon as a case study to show that although a power-sharing agreement has the power to reduce the risk of recurring conflicts, it has the tendency to reinforce sectarian division leading to deterioration of national unity.

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黎巴嫩的权力分享制度和宗派主义的兴起

旨在防止分裂社会中再次发生冲突的权力分享解决方案产生了好坏参半的结果。几十年来，黎巴嫩的权力分享政治制度被指责为政治不稳定、宗派分裂、冲突反复发生和外国干预。今天的黎巴嫩是一个宗教分裂国家的例子，在这个国家，日益增长的宗派认同引发了社区间的不信任。黎巴嫩自 1943 年脱离法国独立以来，教派分裂和冲突日益加剧，这归因于权力分享的政治制度。然而，这篇文章表明，冲突的根源在于政治精英凭借他们在政府中的战略地位对这一制度的操纵，政治宗派组织和运动能够显着影响政治进程。政治精英们通过权力分享制度的操纵计划，成功地将权力从国家转移到宗教教派及其政治代表身上，从而加剧了教派分裂，削弱了国家，延迟了向完全民主的过渡。本文以黎巴嫩为例，表明虽然权力分享协议具有降低冲突再次发生风险的力量，但它有加剧教派分裂导致民族团结恶化的趋势。从而加剧了宗派分裂，削弱了国家，并延迟了向完全民主的过渡。本文以黎巴嫩为例，表明虽然权力分享协议具有降低冲突再次发生风险的力量，但它有加剧教派分裂导致民族团结恶化的趋势。从而加剧了宗派分裂，削弱了国家，并延迟了向完全民主的过渡。本文以黎巴嫩为例，表明虽然权力分享协议具有降低冲突再次发生风险的力量，但它有加剧教派分裂导致民族团结恶化的趋势。