Abstract
This paper examines the geopolitical conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Lebanon between the period 2005 and 2011. The study is based on in-depth studies of the literature on the geopolitical conflict in the region and the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, in addition to other literature related to the subject of the study. The study draws its information from relevant and authoritative books, academic articles and Web sites. It aims to explore the reasons behind the geopolitical conflict between the two regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia and provides an analytical framework for this conflict. It examines the real reasons that tempt Iran and Saudi Arabia to interfere in Lebanese political affairs. The result of this study showed that the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Lebanon is for regional power, making use of Lebanon a fragile state. This paper is divided into five sections in addition to the introduction, conclusion and references.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdulkader N (2017) Irhasat alnizam eliklimi wa irtidadatihi almohtamalah a'la libnan. lebarmy. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3m3sOqS
Abukhalil A (1990) Syria and the Shiites: Al-Asad’s policy in Lebanon. Third World Q 12(2):1–20
Al Bawaba (2010) Report: Hariri ready to give up u.n.-backed special tribunal for Lebanon. Al Bawaba. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://www.albawaba.com/main-headlines/report-hariri-ready-give-un-backed-special-tribunal-lebanon
alquds. (2020). Alquds.com. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3obCRwC
Alritnawi A (2019). alhura.com. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://arbne.ws/3g5wYMT
Arab Center (2020) Dohainstitute.org. Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3HbHo9O
Arab News (2018) beirutme.com. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: http://www.beirutme.com/?p=26790
Arabi Post. Kharita Jadida Lila'bin Alajanib Bi Lebnan Al Soudiya Tansahib Min Alsira’ Ma’ Iran, Wal Imarat Tazra’ Alkhilafat Fi Awsat Alsunnah (2019) ArabicPost.net. Arabi Post; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3r6JNgd
Bahout J (2016) The unraveling of Lebanon's Taif Agreement: Limits of sect-based power sharing. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3o5GbZR
Berti B (2017) Hizb Allah's position on the Arab Spring. Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://ctc.usma.edu/hizb-allahs-position-on-the-arab-spring/
Blanford N (2010) Rare arab summit to forestall possible Hezbollah unrest in Lebanon [Internet]. csmonitor.con. The Christian Science Monitor; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/33WBCum
Cammack P, Dunne M (2018) Fueling middle east conflicts-or dousing the Flames. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3o7Mkou
Cammett M (2019). Lebanon, the Sectarian Identity Test Lab. The Century Foundation; Apr [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://tcf.org/content/report/lebanon-sectarian-identity-test-lab/
Counter Extremist Project. Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon [Internet]. Counter Extremism Project. 2021 [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://www.counterextremism.com/hezbollah-in-lebanon
Dawisha A. (1984) The motives of syria's involvement in lebanon. The Middle East Jounal. [cited 2022Jan29];38(2):228–36. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4326796
Elias F (2019) Geopoletic shi'i wal makhyala elgeostratigiyah eiiraniyah: majalat eltaathir wa binaa elnoufouz. Al Jazeera Center for Studies. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://studies.aljazeera.net/en/node/4505
Fanack (2021) Iran and Saudi Arabia: The Rivalry explained. Fanack.com. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://fanack.com/politics-en/iran-and-saudi-arabia-the-rivalry-explained~30905/
Fuller GE (2007) The hizballah-iran connection: Model for Sunni resistance. Wash Q 30(1):139–150
Gambill G (2010) Syria's triumph in Lebanon: Au Revoir, Les Ententes. Academia.edu. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/66735585/Syrias_Triumph_in_Lebanon_Au_Revoir_Les_Ententes
Gause III G (2014) Beyond sectarianism: The new middle east cold war. OAKTrust Home. Brookings Institution; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/166935
Geertz C (1963) The integrative revolution: primordial sentiments and politics in the new states. In: Old societies and new states: The quest for modernity in Asia and Africa. London: Free Press of Glencoe. p. 105–57
Harris W (2021) Syria in Lebanon. MERIP. Middle East Research and Information Project; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://merip.org/1985/07/syria-in-lebanon/
Hashemi N, Postel D (2017) Sectarianization: Mapping the new politics of the Middle East. The Review of Faith & International Affairs 15(3):1–13
Hassan H. (2018) Al-ilakat Alshi'iya Fawq Alwataniya Wa al-Dawliya Alwataniya Fi Aliraq. Siyasat Arabiya. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://siyasatarabiya.dohainstitute.org/ar/issue034/Pages/art02.aspx
Horowitz DL (1990) Making moderation pay: the comparative politics of ethnic conflict management. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3rcPCJi
Kabalan M (2015) Mawazin Alqowa Qliklimiya ba'd Inhiyar Baghdad, Dirasa Fi Idarat Tawzi’ Alqowah Wa Tajaliyatiha Fi Mintakat Alkhalij Wal Sharq Alwasat. calameo.com. Arab Center; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://en.calameo.com/read/00123143561abebe09066
Kerr MH (1981) The Arab Cold War: Gamal ’Abd al-Nasir and his rivals, 1958–1970. Oxford University Press, London etc.
Khatib L. (2014) Regional spillover: Lebanon and the Syrian conflict. Carnegie Middle East Center. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://carnegie-mec.org/2014/06/09/regional-spillover-lebanon-and-syrian-conflict-pub-55829
Khazen Fel (2001) Lebanon—independent no more: Disappearing Christians of the Middle East. Middle East Forum. Middle East Forum; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://www.meforum.org/16/lebanon-independent-no-more
Khishin M (2020). annahar.com. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/35zhjn8
Kisirwoni M (1980) Foreign interference and religious animosity in Lebanon. J Contemp Hist 15(4):685–700
Lijphart A. Consociational democracy. Consociational Democracy. 1969 Jan; 21(2):70–89
Nasr V (2004) Regional implications of Shi’a revival in Iraq. Wash Q 27(3):5–24
News Arabiya (2018) beirutme.com. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: http://www.beirutme.com/?p=26790
Palanch F (2016) Atlas Lebnan: Ta'arjouh Lebnan fi al-geosiyasiyah al-iklimiyah. books open edition. Presses de l'Ifpo; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://books.openedition.org/ifpo/11606
Petrikkos P (2018) A spectre of conflict: shaping lebanese sectarianism and identity politics. E-International Relations. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://www.e-ir.info/author/petros-petrikkos/
Rasanah (2016) Iran's role in Lebanon's equation: Signs and implications. International Institute for Iranian Studies. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://rasanah-iiis.org/english/monitoring-and-translation/reports/irans-role-in-lebanons-equation-signs-and-implications/
Roeder PG, Rothchild DS, Zahar M-J (2005) chapter 9 power sharing in lebanon: foreign protectors, domestic peace, and democratic failure. In: Sustainable peace: Power and democracy after civil wars. Cornell University Press. p. 219–40
Salamey I, Othman Z (2011) Shia revival andwelayat al-faqihin the making of Iranian foreign policy. Politics, Religion & Ideology 12(2):197–212
Salloukh BF (2013) The Arab Uprisings and the geopolitics of the Middle East. The International Spectator 48(2):32–46
Samaha N (2015) Hezbollah is ‘stronger than ever’. Foreign Policy. [cited 2022 Jan 29]. Available from: https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/01/hezbollah-is-stronger-than-ever-isis-syria/
Thompson EV. Will Syria Have to Withdraw from Lebanon?. The Middle East Journal 56(1):72–93
Ṭarābulsī Fawwāz 2012 A history of modern Lebanon. London: Pluto Press
Understanding Lebanese Confessionalism (2007) [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://www.cjpme.org/fs_026
Valbjørn M, Bank A (2011) The new Arab Cold War: Rediscovering the arab dimension of middle east regional politics. Rev Int Stud 38(1):3–24
Varshney A (2009) Ethnicity and ethnic conflict. Oxford Handbooks [cited 2022 Jan 29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3AGcjZj
Yalibnan (2018) Several obstacles preventing the formation of a new government in Lebanon. Ya Libnan. [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://yalibnan.com/2018/07/15/several-obstacles-preventing-the-formation-of-a-new-government-in-lebanon/
Zisser E (2009) Shi‘ite Lebanon: Transnational religion and the making of national identities. Middle East Stud 45(3):517–523
Zneid H (2018) Al-Taifiya wa al-tadakholat al-Kharijiya- Aghlal Fi ‘nq al-Dimocratiya al-loubnaniya. DW.COM. Deutsche Welle; [cited 2022Jan29]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3HbAeSM
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hassan, Z. (2022). Regional Geopolitical Conflict and the Fragile State: Foreign Influence and Lebanon’s Sovereignty. In: AlDajani, I.M., Leiner, M. (eds) Reconciliation, Heritage and Social Inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08713-4_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08713-4_27
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08712-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08713-4
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)