Building Lebanon’s Sovereignty and the State

For over three years Lebanon has endured a complex series of crises, starting in 2019 with the collapse of its once-vaunted financial sector. The situation was compounded by deep rooted corruption, decades of failure to reform Lebanese economic, regulatory, and governance practices, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The devastating Beirut port explosion in August 2020 brought further financial loss and demoralization to the Lebanese people. Lebanon’s parliament has yet to elect a president after 12 attempts since former President Michel Aoun left office in October 2022, leaving the cabinet remains in caretaker status, unable to move forward with much needed economic and political reforms. 

Against this backdrop, this white paper focuses on viable policy recommendations for Lebanon, the United States and regional and international actors to address the political deadlock and economic downturn. Presented by the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program (MEP) under the Lebanon Ideas Forum, the paper includes ideas collected through a series of roundtable discussions with Lebanese politicians, officials, and civil society members, as well as foreign diplomats, academics, policy experts, and leaders from the Lebanese American community.