The instrumentalization of identity in the Lebanese Conflict

Abstract

This research tries to shed light on the case of Lebanese conflict, an example of identitarian conflict that has been alive for centuries, and given its location in the Middle East, an area of international interests, the country has been exposed to many external interventions. Said interventions have taken advantage of the political inexperience of local communities to sow division as part of a master plan to redesign the area according to occidental interests. The objective is to rethink a Peace Process based on the urgent need for a change of mentality among the human mosaic that integrates and defines Lebanese society. For this purpose, a qualitative methodology was used, through an analytical study of works by major authors who masterfully deal with the theme of identity and multiculturalism as well as an inclusive humanism, where people resemble rather than differ by sharing common basic values. As a result, it is observed that the identity of the Lebanese people has been instrumentalized to guarantee the sustainability of the local conflict, dissecting it into small characteristics such as confession. It concludes with a peace process based on a change of mentality on the perception of identity and specifically religious characteristic, in order to move forward with a better inclusive identity.