Although a political and social change in Lebanon may seem complicated, there are tangible expressions of a new political and social movement that has emerged in the country.
The Lebanese ‘Movement of Change’ refers to those groups that are not part of the current political establishment, did not participate in the civil war and did not contribute to the recent collapse of the state. These groups are focused on reform, emerging from the ‘You Stink’ protests ignited in 2015. They are seeking to achieve their goals by bringing key people into political offices, but it is difficult to determine what the Movement’s goals are other than opposition to the current establishment
In collaboration with Action Research Associates (ARA), we mapped emerging civil society groups, networks and new political contenders. We wrote a report on their internal structures, programmatic agenda, challenges they face internally and externally, gaps and needs, and their ability to engage citizens in the political process.
We analysed 30 political groups that are prominent in the Lebanese Change Movement. We based our research on each group to decode their political positions and relationships with other groups inside and outside the Movement, including surveys and in-depth interviews with members of each group.
Our research objectives were:
- The political orientation of opposition movements
- The political priorities on the issues of economic crisis, health, housing, food and education
- Relationships with groups outside the Movement
- Relationships within the Movement
- Plans and Challenges
- Engagement with the Voter
- Gender
The report visualises the current network of relationships between the groups, both negative and positive, their stance on sectarianism, administrative decentralisation, Hezbollah’s weapons, approaches to eradicating corruption, the restoration of the banking and financial sector, collaboration with traditional parties, and other emerging issues and trends.
Download the Executive Summary and the full report.