Lebanon: Contending notions of terrorism in Lebanon: Politico-legal manoeuvres and political Islam

Abstract

Explosions, armed actions, and other militant phenomena have been a recurrent feature of Lebanese politics. The divided political landscape across sects and party formations in the absence of a strong executive institutional mechanism in the aftermath of a protracted ‘civil’ war and a hashed-up cessation of hostilities in a turbulent regional environment has all contributed to a climate where violent acts are a way to conduct politics. As a result, the struggle over meaning and naming significantly shapes political struggles and the possibility for compromise in the Lebanon. Conflicting claims as to which acts are labeled terrorism, and how this war on words is integral to the different political struggles plaguing the country involving other regional state and non-state actors. This chapter will look at two important battles at managing claims of terrorism, one regarding the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and the establishment of an international tribunal, and the other involving a Islamist targeted campaign waged by Hizbullah against “takfiri” groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS.