On March 5, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam convened his cabinet for the first time since early February. Sessions were previously suspended over disputes concerning the mechanism that will be used in the decision-making process. While the meeting could be seen as a step in the right direction, Lebanon still faces multiple crises that threaten to topple the precarious balance that exists in the country.
Foremost, this is a political crisis as the political elite remain divided between two coalitions that support different regional powers, and they are unwilling to reach a compromise, thus prolonging the institutional stalemate.
It is also a social crisis as the massive influx of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has deteriorated the economic and social conditions of Lebanese. The presence of large numbers of refugees has put pressure on the state’s infrastructure, public health and school system, and it has caused a rise of inflation in accommodation and basic commodities.
Last but not least, Lebanon faces a security crisis as Sunni militias active in the Syrian Civil War try to expand their influence in Lebanon and create a de facto zone of influence in the country’s northeast, exploiting the support of Syrian refugees and Lebanon’s Sunni population.