Lebanon’s statehood has long been contested both within and without its borders. In recent years, international assistance has sought to strengthen the Lebanese security sector and secure the country’s porous borders amidst successive and deepening crises. During this time, the rationale and mechanisms for delivering assistance to security agencies have evolved. Lebanon’s involvement in the region’s escalating conflict is cause for reflection on the effectiveness of this assistance and its future prospects: this webinar discussion will focus upon calls to re-evaluate the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in the wake of recent regional events, to consider whether the UNSCR 1701 remains fit for purpose, eighteen years after it was first drafted.
In this webinar, Dr Simone Tholens from the European University Institute (EUI) explored EUI’s XCEPT research findings which highlight that assistance programmes have been primarily driven by donor priorities, created disparities between Lebanese security agencies, and largely precluded societal participation in donor-funded security programming. This discussion focused upon current challenges and opportunities of security assistance provision in Lebanon, highlighting the need for a more organic and participatory vision of the future Lebanese state and its security measures.
Recording coming soon.
Speakers included:
- Waleed Hazbun, Professor of Political Science, University of Alabama
- Dr Simone Tholens, XCEPT researcher and lecturer, EUI
- Ada Sophia Hahn, Research Associate at Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI
The session was moderated by:
- Alexander Fischer, Senior Research Manager, XCEPT