Don't 'Lebanonize'!

The US Ambassador to Ankara and Representative for Syria, Tom Barrack, stated that "strong nation-states are seen as a threat to Israel." This statement clearly summarizes the plans of imperialism, the Greater Middle East Project (GMEP), and what is desired for Turkey. Today, the internal conflicts that Syria has fallen into reveal the dimensions of the danger.

The target of those who yearn for the Treaty of Sèvres is the nation-state! Those who want a new Sèvres are those who want Turkey to fragment along ethnic and sectarian lines, or in other words, to 'Lebanonize'.

So, what does 'Lebanonization' mean?

It is an environment where the Middle East is fragmented in terms of ethnicity and sects, leading countries into instability, thereby creating areas that imperialism can govern as it pleases. Another name for this is 'Lebanonization'. Professor of history, author, and someone who does not compromise on his principled stance regarding national issues, Professor Hakkı Uyar, frequently brings up the subject of Lebanonization.

WHAT HAPPENED IN LEBANON?

Lebanon, which remained under Ottoman rule from 1516 until 1918, subsequently fell into French hands and became independent in 1943. Lebanon, which holds an important place in the Middle East, has also been home to all religions considered sacred. It contains 18 separate ethnic-religious groups.
This small country, located between Syria and Israel, was the scene of a civil war for 15 years, starting in 1975.
When the calendar showed April 13, 1975, an attack was carried out on a ceremony held in a church, and the fuse of the civil war was lit with an attack organized by Christian Phalangists against Palestinian refugees heading to the Tel al-Zaatar camp. Afterward, clashes between Maronite Christians and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) continued until June. The assassination of Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt in 1977 fueled the conflicts; the Druze held the Maronite Christians responsible for this attack, and the two groups clashed.
Following an attack on a bus in Tel Aviv in 1978 that resulted in the loss of 32 lives, an Israeli force of 25 thousand people occupied southern Lebanon. Using the presence of the PLO in the country as a pretext, Israel seized 10 percent of Lebanon. 2 thousand people lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands became refugees.
As a result of these events, some of which we have quoted, Lebanon has suffered greatly.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF CIVIL WAR…

Due to its political structure consisting of the representation of ethnic, religious, and sectarian-based groups, the country lacks a central and strong state authority, and groups have formed their own armed forces. The Shiite Hezbollah and the AMAL Movement are examples of this.

In 1989, many Arab countries, led by Syria, made efforts to end the civil war. As a result of the negotiations held in Saudi Arabia, the Taif Agreement was signed. According to this, instead of the system where 6 Christian and 5 Muslim representatives previously sat in Parliament, a decision was made to have an equal number of Christian and Muslim representatives. As before, the President will be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of Parliament a Shiite Muslim. However, it was decided to increase the powers of the Prime Minister and extend the term of the Speaker of Parliament.

It is obvious how much peace, tranquility, and unity this agreement has provided in Lebanon, which has been engulfed in instability, tears, and a fragmented structure due to a 15-year civil war. In a country where state administration is shaped along the lines of ethnic identity, the emergence of political crises, conflicts, and economic and social crises in the long term is inevitable.

WHAT HAPPENED IN IRAQ?

Professor Hakkı Uyar reminds us that this model in Lebanon was also applied in Iraq after Saddam Hussein.
After the US invasion in 2003, the President of Iraq became a Kurd, the Prime Minister a Shiite, and the Speaker of Parliament a Sunni. Moreover, a Kurdish regional government was established in the north of the country. Another point to note here is the sectarian division of the Arabs.

NEXT IS SYRIA…

There are also possible scenarios for Syria. The clashes in areas where Druze live densely can be considered a harbinger of this. A Syria divided into four or five pieces is the picture that both Israel and US imperialism want. Such a picture exists in our region. We are all witnessing how imperialism divides and fragments countries.
Turkey stands tall in the middle of this ring of fire with the Atatürk Republic!

We taught those who wanted to divide us with the Treaty of Sèvres a lesson with the National Struggle and Lausanne. We sent Sèvres to the dustbin of history. Articles 37-45 of Lausanne are directed at minorities. By rejecting the Lebanon model that was intended to be implemented in Sèvres, it accepted all its citizens as Turkish without distinguishing them by race, language, or religion. It eliminated the granting of separate political rights to them.

The new models put forward by imperialists are just another name for 'Sèvres' and 'Lebanonization'!

The Republic of Turkey, founded by our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is the sole guarantor of our nation-state, our unity, and our integrity. Let us hold on tight…


Bibliography:

- Hakkı Uyar, Lebanonization: The Sèvres Model, Ege Meclisi, 22.07.2025, https://www.egemeclisi.com/lubnanlasma-sevr-modeli

- Turkey in the Middle East Dilemma, Ed. Şenol Çarık, Halk Kitabevi, Istanbul, 2020.

- Selim Sezer, ‘The Effects of the Syrian War on the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp’, Turkey Middle East Studies Journal, 2019, Vol.6(2).

- William Lee Cleveland, A History of the Modern Middle East, Agora Kitaplığı, Istanbul, 2015.

- Sects in Lebanon / Political and Social Relations, Ed. Yasin Atlıoğlu, Tuba Yıldız, Selenge Yayınları, Istanbul, 2024.