ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how Syria institutionalized its armed presence in Lebanon and undermined the implementation of the Tai’f Agreement, mainly because Asad’s aim was not to consolidate power-sharing between Lebanese elites, but to build his own regional power. Although Syria succeeded in maintaining stability and democracy, it impeded democracy and power-sharing. The chapter also examines and analyzes how Syrian tutelage paralyzed constitutional democracy by promoting government by the Troika. Syria’s intervention in Lebanese internal affairs and its disregard for the provisions of the Tai’f were destructive because Damascus’s aim was Syrianization of the state and society. Further, the chapter examines the impact of regional tension, particularly after the terrorist attacks on the US in 2001 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq, and explores how regional developments destabilized Lebanon.
