Sectarianism and Lebanon's Foreign Policy

The identity policy of the sects in Lebanon has been organized in line with their recognition and respect. The identity of Lebanon is pluralistic, heterogeneous, and contradictory. The polarized identity in Lebanon and the attempt for retaining and increasing the sectarian interest have facilitated the interference of these transnational players. Therefore, Lebanon's state has a pluralistic foreign policy. Each of these sects represents the interests of a foreign state. Lebanon has become fragile due to the overflow of regional issues, the deadlock in the domestic policy, the transnational militias, and extreme sectarianism. Thus, the state cannot act independently in policy making, decision making, and national independence, and the behavior and definition of national interest is a function of such concept for these sects and foreign states. The methodology of these study is analytic-explanatory based on the positivistic approaches. The method of data collection is library research using the published papers and websites. The research question is: 'What is the effect of sectarianism in Lebanon on Lebanon's foreign policy?' And the hypothesis of this study is: 'Sectarianism, dominance of sect identity over national identity, and forming a fragile state in Lebanon have influenced the definition of national interest and the foreign policy orientation, and have caused the state to activate in the international policy arena along with these sects. Therefore, instead of national interest, the sectarian interest is considered.