Sunday, September 16, 2012

لبنان

لبنان بلد متنوع بشعبه، فحوالي 40% من السكان البالغين 22 سنة^[20] ينتمون إلى الدين المسيحي، وهو البلد الوحيد في الوطن العربي الذي يتولى رئاسته مسيحيون بحكم عرف دستوري. ويتوزع الشعب اللبناني على 18 طائفة معترف بها.^[21] واللبنانيون منتشرون في شتّى أنحاء العالم كمغتربين أوكمهاجرين من أصل لبنانيّ. ويبلغ عدد سكان لبنان بتقدير الأمم المتحدة لعام 2008 نحو 4,099,000 نسمة.^[22] ويُقدر عدد اللبنانيين المغتربين والمنحدرين من أصل لبناني في العالم بحوالي 8,624,000 نسمة، وفقا لإحصاء سنة 2001،^[23] ينتمي أكثرهم إلى الدين المسيحي، لأن الهجرة اللبنانية بدأت من متصرفية جبل لبنان ذات الأغلبية المسيحية.^[24] أمّا نسبة زيادة السكان فهي 0.85%. ومن المنتوقَّع أن ينخفض عدد سكان لبنان عام 2050 إلى 3,001,000. وتبلغ الكثافة السكانية للبنان 344 نسمة / كلم.²^[25] ويعيش ما بين 87% و90%^[26] من اللبنانيين في المدن^[27] منهم أكثر من 1,100,000 نسمة - أي ما يعادل ربع السكان - في العاصمة بيروت وضواحيها.^[28] وتبلغ نسبة المتعلمين فيه 87.4%. ويتكلم سكانه اللغة العربية وكثيرون منهم الفرنسية والإنكليزية. زد على ذلك لغات أخرى أقلّ استعمالا كالأرمنية والكردية والسريانية.

قُدّر عدد سكان لبنان في تموز/يوليو من عام 2008 بنحو 3,971,941 نسمة.^[2] بينما قدر عدد اللاجئين الأجانب في عام 2007 بما يزيد على 375,000 شخص: منهم 270,800 من فلسطين و 100,000 من العراق،^[29] و 4,500 من السودان. وأبعد لبنان أكثر من 300 لاجئ قسرا عام 2007.^[30] ويُعتبر الشعب اللبناني الحالي مزيجاً من الشعوب المختلفة التي أمَّت لبنان واستقرت فيه عبر العصور،فكثير من اللبنانيين ذوو جذور فينيقية وعربية ورومانية وتركية وفارسية ولبعضهم جذور أوروبية من عهد الصليبين وفترة الانتداب الفرنسي. ففي تلك الحقبة استقرت في لبنان أقلية لا يستهان بها من الفرنسيين. لكن معظمهم غادر بعد الاستقلال عام 1943 ولم بقَ منهم ألاّ القليل. ولا يزال عدد كبير من السوريين والمصريين في لبنان حيث يعمل معظمهم في قطاع البناء والخدمات.

[عدل]اللغات واللهجات

مقالات تفصيلية :لغات لبنان و لهجة لبنانية

نقش باللغة الفينيقية، أوّل اللغات المدونة التي نطق بها سكان الساحل اللبناني الحالي.

كانت اللغة الفينيقية أول اللغات التي تكلمها السكان الذين قطنوا المناطق التي تدخل اليوم ضمن نطاق الدولة اللبنانية، وبعد ذلك بفترة انتشرت اللغة الآرامية والسريانية قبل أن تنتشر اللغة الإغريقيةخلال العصر الهليني، أي عند غزو الإسكندر الأكبر. استمرت تلك اللغة متداولة لفترة طويلة نسبيّا بين السكان حتى الفتح الإسلامي لبلاد الشام، عندما حلّت اللغة العربية بدلا منها.^[31] ويتكلم اللبنانيون اليوم اللغة العربية المدموغة بلهجتهم الخاصة المستمدة من اختلاط اللغة العربية مع الآرامية والسريانية، وبعض الكلمات التركية والفارسية.^[32] كما أن معظم اللبنانيين يتكلمون أكثر من لغة منهاالفرنسية والإنجليزية. كما تستعمل اللغة الأرمنية بكثرة بين اللبنانيين من أصل أرمني. وما زالت اللغة السريانية واللاتينية مستعملة في الطقوس الدينية المسيحية.

كانت اللغة الفرنسية تعتبر لغة رسمية في لبنان خلال فترة الانتداب، حيث كانت تستعمل في المعاملات والإجراءات الرسمية إلى جانب العربية، وبعد إعلان الاستقلال أصبح الدستور ينص على أن اللغة العربية هي اللغة الرسمية الوحيدة في لبنان. ويتكلم العديد من اللبنانيين اليوم أكثر من لغة في الجملة الواحدة في بعض الأحيان بشكل تلقائي،^[33] والبعض يفعل ذلك كمحاولة للتعبير عن مكانة اجتماعية معينة وما شابه، وهذا ما دفع بعض اللغويين إلى القول أن اللبنانيين يتكلمون لغة مختلفة عن اللغة العربية هي "اللغة اللبنانية"، إلا أن معظم اللبنانيين يرفضون هذه الفكرة وينظرون إلى اللغة التي يتكلموها على أنها عربية

الجمهوريّة اللبنانيّة

الجمهوريّة اللبنانيّة هي إحدى الدول العربية الواقعة في الشرق الأوسط في جنوب غرب القارة الآسيوية. تحدها سوريا من الشمال والشرق، وفلسطين المحتلة - إسرائيل^[6] من الجنوب، وتطل من جهة الغرب على البحر الأبيض المتوسط. هو بلدديمقراطي جمهوري طوائفي غني بتعدد ثقافاته وتنوع حضاراته. معظم سكانه من العرب المسلمين والمسيحيين. وبخلاف بقية الدول العربية هناك وجود فعال للمسيحيين في الحياة العامة والسياسية. هاجر وإنتشر أبناؤه حول العالم منذ أيام الفينيقيين، وحالياً فإن عدد اللبنانيين المهاجرين يقدر بضعف عدد اللبنانيين المقيمين.

واجه لبنان منذ القدم تعدد الحضارات التي عبرت فيه أو احتلت أراضيه وذلك لموقعه الوسطي بين الشمال الأوروبي والجنوب العربي والشرق الآسيوي والغرب الأفريقي، وكانت هذه الوسطية سبباً لتنوعه وفرادته مع محيطه وفي الوقت ذاته سبباً للحروب والنزاعات على مر العصور تجلت بحروب أهلية ونزاع مصيري مع إسرائيل.^[7] ويعود أقدم دليل على استيطان الإنسان في لبنان ونشوء حضارة على أرضه إلى أكثر من 7000 سنة.^[8]

في القدم، سكن الفينيقيون أرض لبنان الحالية مع جزء من أرض سوريا وفلسطين، وهؤلاء قوم ساميون اتخذوا من الملاحة والتجارة مهنة لهم، وازدهرت حضارتهم طيلة 2500 سنة تقريبًا (من حوالي سنة 3000 حتى سنة 539 ق.م). وقد مرّت على لبنان عدّة حضارات وشعوب استقرت فيه منذ عهد الفينيقين، مثل المصريين القدماء، الآشوريين، الفرس، الإغريق، الرومان، الروم البيزنطيين، العرب، الصليبيين، الأتراك العثمانيين، فالفرنسيين.

وطبيعة أرض لبنان الجبلية الممانعة كمعظم جبال بلاد الشام كانت ملاذًا للمضطهدين في المنطقة منذ القدم، وفي الوقت ذاته صبغت مناخه وجمال طبيعته التي تجذب السياح من البلاد المحيطة به مما أنعش اقتصاده حتى في أحلك الأزمات، فاقتصاده يعتمد على الخدمات السياحية والمصرفية التي تشكّل معاً أكثر من 65% من مجموع الناتج المحلي.

يعتبر لبنان أحد أكثر المراكز المصرفية أهمية في آسيا الغربية، ولمّا بلغ ذروة ازدهاره أصبح يُعرف "بسويسرا الشرق"،^[9] لقوة وثبات مركزه المالي آنذاك وتنوعه،^[10] كما استقطب أعدادا هائلة من السياح لدرجة أصبحت معها بيروت تعرف بباريس الشرق. بعد نهاية الحرب الأهلية جرت محاولات عديدة ولا تزال لإعادة بناء الاقتصاد الوطني والنهوض به من جديد وتطوير جميع البنى التحتية،^[11] وقد نجح البعض منها، فقد تفادت معظم المصارف اللبنانية الوقوع في متاهة الأزمة الاقتصادية العالمية لسنة 2007 التي أثرت في معظم الشركات والمصارف حول العالم، وفي سنة 2009 شهد لبنان نموًا اقتصاديًا بنسبة 9% على الرغم من الركود الاقتصادي العالمي، واستقبل أكبر عدد من السياح العرب والأوروبيين في تاريخه.

ويشتهر لبنان بنظامه التربوي الرائد والعريق في القدم الذي يسمح بإنشاء مؤسسات تعليمية من مختلف الثقافات ويشجع التعليم بلغات مختلفة بالإضافة للعربية. وكان لأبنائه دورٌ كبير في إثراء الثقافات العربية والعالمية في مجالات العلوم والفنون والآداب وكانوا من رواد الصحافة الإعلام في الوطن العربي.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Team Lebanon

A1 launches Team Lebanon

Lebanon A1 Launch

The A1 Grand Prix series has unveiled details of a new team from the Lebanon. Team Lebanon was unveiled by the country's president Emile Lahoud at the Le Royal Hotel, Beirut. The event was hosted by Nadhmi Auchi. His son Tameem will be the boss of the new team. The car will be run with the Lebanese flag as its livery and the famous Cedar of Lebanon on the sidepods.

Ironically, Auchi (67) is not Lebanese at all but rather from Iraq. He left Iraq in 1981. His brothers were killed by Saddam Hussein, although his connections in his home country allowed him to build a huge fortune, acting as an intermediary in commercial deals in the Middle East. His company - known as General Mediterranean Holdings is involved in a variety of different industries including industry, finance, construction, pharmaceuticals, power, tourism and entertainment. Le Royal Hotel is one of his many assets and he is currently building a new Hilton Hotel in downtown Beirut and is involved in various other reconstruction projects in the country.

A controversial figure, a year ago Auchi was fined $2.4m and given a 15-month suspended sentence by a French court for having received illegal commissions to ease the purchase an oil refinery for Elf in Spain. His General Mediterranean Holdings company is believed to have $2bn of assets and is listed as Britain's seventh richest man. He is one of the biggest private shareholders in the French bank BNP.

"We want the Lebanese people, both here and around the world, to be proud of the team that is bearing their national colours," said Tameem Auchi at the launch. "This levent is a clear demonstration that Team Lebanon is a serious player, one that will bring success to those involved."

Lebanon Landscapes

Photo of the Week – Lebanon Landscapes

A trashy Beach in Saida

Lebanon is a country of contrasts and nothing displays that more than the landscapes around the country. I was lucky enough to stay in the country for an entire month and moved around outside of the hub of Beirut. My travels took me to old, ancient cities and ruins of Saida, Tripoli, Byblos, Anjar, and Zhale. These trips allowed me to capture the diversity of the landscapes of the North, South, and the mountains. You may be surprised at Lebanon’s landscapes – I sure was…

To purchase any of these photos, simply click on the image for more information.

Wine, Mosque, and Mountains - not what you expect

A citidel in the water in Saida

Tripoli is tightly packed

Anjar Ruins near Syria

Modern Beirut

Lake near Zhale Lebanon

Byblos near the Citadel

Beirut Street Art

Pigeon Rock at Sunset

Lebanon Images

Pro-Western Coalition Maintains Its Majority in Parliament

On March 1, 2009 an international court at The Hague was set up to investigate the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The move generated hope that progress was being made in the case. However, in May the court freed four pro-Syrian generals who had been linked to the murder, claiming it lacked evidence to convict them.

In June 2009 parliamentary elections, the March 14 coalition, led by Saad Hariri, son of the slain former prime minister, retained its majority in Parliament by taking 71 of 128 seats. The Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition won 57 seats. After nearly five months of negotiations with the opposition Hariri finally assembled a 30-member government of national unity in November. His coalition received 15 cabinet posts, Hezbollah and its allies 10, and President Suleiman selected the remaining five.

Lebanon's government fell apart in January 2011, when Hezbollah's ministers resigned from the cabinet to protest Prime Minister Hariri's refusal to reject the UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri. The tribunal released a sealed indictment to a judge that is expected to include members of Hezbollah. In fact, Hezbollah said its members were included in the indictment, yet continued to deny responsibility for Hariri's murder. Two weeks after the government's collapse, Hezbollah won enough support in Parliament to form a new government with Najib Mikati, a billionaire businessman, as prime minister. Mikati, a Sunni and former prime minister, said even though he was backed by Hezbollah, he will govern as an independent. After five months of negotiations, Mikati assembled a cabinet, with 16 out of 30 seats going to Hezbollah and its allies. The main reason for the delay was the opposition's insistence that the government abide by the tribunal's recommendations; Hezbollah had refused to comply with them. The cabinet, however, agreed to cooperate with the tribunal as long as the country's stability was not at risk.

Syrian Occupation Ends, but Syrian Influence Continues

A UN Security Council resolution in Sept. 2004 demanded that Syria remove the troops it had stationed in Lebanon for the past 28 years. Syria responded by moving about 3,000 troops from the vicinity of Beirut to eastern Lebanon, a gesture that was viewed by many as merely symbolic. As a result, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (1992–1998, 2000–2004), largely responsible for Lebanon's economic rebirth in the past decade, resigned. On Feb. 14, 2005, he was killed by a car bomb. Many suspected Syria of involvement and large protests ensued, calling for Syria's withdrawal from the country. After two weeks of protests by Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Druze parties, pro-Syrian prime minister Omar Karami resigned on Feb. 28. Several days later, Syria made a vague pledge to withdraw its troops but failed to announce a timetable. On March 8, the militant group Hezbollah sponsored a massive pro-Syrian rally, primarily made up of Shiites. Hundreds of thousands gathered to thank Syria for its involvement in Lebanon. The pro-Syrian demonstrations led to President Lahoud's reappointment of Karami as prime minister on March 9. But an anti-Syrian protest—twice the size of the Hezbollah protest—followed. In mid-March, Syria withdrew 4,000 troops and redeployed the remaining 10,000 to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, which borders Syria. In April, Omar Karami resigned a second time after failing to form a government. Lebanon's new prime minister, Najib Mikati—a compromise candidate between the pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian groups—announced that new elections would be held in May. On April 26, after 29 years of occupation, Syria withdrew all of its troops.

In May and June 2005, Syria held four rounds of parliamentary elections. An anti-Syrian alliance led by Saad al-Hariri, the 35-year-old son of assassinated former prime minister leader Rafik Hariri, won 72 out of 128 seats. Former finance minister Fouad Siniora, who was closely associated with Hariri, became prime minister.

On Sept. 1, four were charged in the murder of Rafik Hariri. The commander of Lebanon's Republican Guard, the former head of general security, the former chief of Lebanon's police, and the former military intelligence officer were indicted for the Feb. 2008 assassination. On Oct. 20, the UN released a report concluding that the assassination was carefully organized by Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officials, including Syria's military intelligence chief, Asef Shawkat, who is the brother-in-law of Syrian president Bashar Assad.

Israeli Attacks and Syrian Meddling Continue

In June 1999, just before Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu left office, Israel bombed southern Lebanon, its most severe attack on the country since 1996. In May 2000, Israel's new prime minister, Ehud Barak, withdrew Israeli troops after 18 consecutive years of occupation.

In the summer of 2001, Syria withdrew nearly all of its 25,000 troops from Beirut and surrounding areas. About 14,000 troops, however, remained in the countryside. With the continuation of Israeli-Palestinian violence in 2002, Hezbollah again began building up forces along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

In Aug. 2004, in a stark reminder of its iron grip on Lebanon, Syria insisted that Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Émile Lahoud, remain in office beyond the constitutional limit of one six-year term. Despite outrage in the country, the Lebanese parliament did Syria's bidding, permitting Lahoud to serve for three more years.

Continuing Conflict with Israel Leads to the Formation of Hezbollah

The second Israeli invasion came on June 6, 1982, after an assassination attempt by Palestinian terrorists on the Israeli ambassador in London. As a base of the PLO, Lebanon became the Israelis' target. Nearly 7,000 Palestinians were dispersed to other Arab nations. The violence seemed to have come to an end when, on Sept. 14, Bashir Gemayel, the 34-year-old president-elect, was killed by a bomb that destroyed the headquarters of his Christian Phalangist Party. Following his assassination, Christian militiamen massacred about 1,000 Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, but Israel denied responsibility.

The massacre in the refugee camps prompted the return of a multinational peacekeeping force. Its mandate was to support the central Lebanese government, but it soon found itself drawn into the struggle for power between different Lebanese factions. The country was engulfed in chaos and instability. During their stay in Lebanon, 241 U.S. Marines and about 60 French soldiers were killed, most of them in suicide bombings of the U.S. Marine and French army compounds on Oct. 23, 1983. The multinational force withdrew in the spring of 1984. In 1985, the majority of Israeli troops withdrew from the country, but Israel left some troops along a buffer zone on the southern Lebanese border, where they engaged in ongoing skirmishes with Palestinian groups. The Palestinian terrorist group Hezbollah, or “Party of God,” was formed in the 1980s during Israel's second invasion of Lebanon. With financial backing from Iran, it has launched attacks against Israel for more than 20 years.

In July 1986, Syrian observers took up a position in Beirut to monitor a peacekeeping agreement. The agreement broke down and fighting between Shiite and Druze militia in West Beirut became so intense that Syrian troops mobilized in Feb. 1987, suppressing militia resistance. In 1991, a treaty of friendship was signed with Syria, which in effect gave Syria control over Lebanon's foreign relations. In early 1991, the Lebanese government, backed by Syria, regained control over the south and disbanded various militias, thereby ending the 16-year civil war, which had destroyed much of the infrastructure and industry of Lebanon

Warring Factions Within Lebanon and Regional Conflicts Make Peace Impossible

Clan warfare between various religious groups in Lebanon goes back centuries. The combatants include Maronite Christians, who, since independence, have dominated the government; Sunni Muslims, who have prospered in business and shared political power; the Druze, who have a faith incorporating aspects of Islam and Gnosticism; and Shiite Muslims.

A new—and bloodier—Lebanese civil war that broke out in 1975 resulted in the addition of still another ingredient in the brew, the Syrians. In the fighting between Lebanese factions, 40,000 Lebanese were estimated to have been killed and 100,000 wounded between March 1975 and Nov. 1976. At that point, Syrian troops intervened at the request of the Lebanese and brought large-scale fighting to a halt. In 1977, the civil war again flared and continued until 1990, decimating the country.

Palestinian guerrillas staging raids on Israel from Lebanese territory drew punitive Israeli raids on Lebanon and two large scale Israeli invasions, in 1978 and again in 1982. In the first invasion, the Israelis entered the country in March 1978 and withdrew that June, after the UN Security Council created a 6,000-man peacekeeping force for the area called UNIFIL. As the UN departed, the Israelis turned their strongholds over to a Christian militia that they had organized, instead of to the UN force.

Lebanon

Facts & Figures

Map of Lebanon

President: Michel Suleiman (2008)

Prime Minister: Najib Mikati (2011)

Land area: 3,950 sq mi (10,230 sq km);total area: 4,015 sq mi (10,400 sq km)

Population (2010 est.): 4,125,247 (growth rate: 0.6%); birth rate: 15.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 16.4/1000; life expectancy: 74.8; density per sq km: 388

Capital and largest city (2003 est.):Beirut, 1,916,100 (metro. area), 1,171,000 (city proper)

Other large cities: Tripoli, 212,900; Sidon, 149,000

Monetary unit: Lebanese pound

More Facts & Figures

Geography

Lebanon lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, north of Israel and west of Syria. It is four-fifths the size of Connecticut. The Lebanon Mountains, which run parallel to the western coast, cover most of the country, while on the eastern border is the Anti-Lebanon range. Between the two lies the Bekaa Valley, the principal agricultural area.

Government

Republic.

History

After World War I, France was given a League of Nations mandate over Lebanon and its neighbor Syria, which together had previously been a single political unit in the Ottoman Empire. France divided them in 1920 into separate colonial administrations, drawing a border that separated mostly Muslim Syria from the kaleidoscope of religious communities in Lebanon, where Maronite Christians were then dominant. After 20 years of the French mandate regime, Lebanon's independence was proclaimed on Nov. 26, 1941, but full independence came in stages. Under an agreement between representatives of Lebanon and the French National Committee of Liberation, most of the powers exercised by France were transferred to the Lebanese government on Jan. 1, 1944. The evacuation of French troops was completed in 1946.

According to the unwritten National Pact, different religious communities were represented in the government by a Maronite Christian president, a Sunni Muslim prime minister, and a Shiite national assembly speaker. This arrangement worked for two decades.

Civil war broke out in 1958, with Muslim factions led by Kamal Jumblat and Saeb Salam rising in insurrection against the Lebanese government headed by President Camille Chamoun, a Maronite Christian favoring close ties to the West. At Chamoun's request, President Eisenhower, on July 15, sent U.S. troops to reestablish the government's authority.