Making of Lebanese Foreign Policy - Understanding the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli War

Seeking to explain Lebanon's behavior in the international arena during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, this book offers a critique of both systemic and sub state factors in determining foreign policy decisions.

The Making of Lebanese Foreign Policy illustrates how systemic theories are limited in terms of explaining foreign policy decisions because they largely ignore the role of internal, or sub state, factors. Within Lebanon, foreign policy is split between the interests of different internal Lebanese groups working in alliance with external actors. The competing interests of these internal groups compromise the cohesion of the Lebanese state and its capacity to promote its own interests above those of the different internal groups. The example of Lebanon during the 2006 war thus demonstrates the importance of these sub state factors in influencing state behaviour on an international level.

Arguing that a more pluralistic approach is necessary in order to understand the conditions that affect the foreign policy making of the Lebanese state, this book fills an important gap in the literature on the topic and will be of interest to students of International Relations, Middle East Studies and Islamic Studies amongst others.

List of contents

Introduction 1 The Foreign Policy of Arab States 2 Lebanese Foreign Policy 3 The 2006 War in Context 4 The Impact of Systemic Factors on Foreign Policy During the War 5 The Impact of Sub-state Identity on Foreign Policy During the War Conclusion

About the author

Henrietta Wilkins has recently completed a PhD in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University. Currently based in Beirut, her research interests focus on the impact of sub-state actors on political decision-making in the MENA region.

Summary

This book examines Lebanon’s international political behaviour during the 2006 war between Israel and Hizballah. It tests the hypothesis that sub-state factors, especially identity, are more important than systemic factors for affecting the conditions against which states make foreign policy-decisions.

Product details

• Authors: Henrietta Wilkins, Henrietta (University of Durham Wilkins, Wilkins Henrietta
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 25.04.2013
• EAN: 9780415624312
• ISBN: 978-0-415-62431-2
• No. of pages: 188
• Series: Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Israel, POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General, Lebanon, HISTORY / Middle East / Israel & Palestine, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Middle Eastern, International Relations, 21st century history: from c 2000 -, 21st century, c 2000 to c 2100, c 2000 to c 2010, c 2000 to c 2009, Middle Eastern history, Central / national / federal government policies, Central government policies