Article:
ISSUE No.7 November - December 2007

Lebanon
Where the Orient and the Occident Connect

The Lebanese Republic is a state in the Middle East that borders on Syria, Israel and the Mediterranean Sea and is considered to be one of the West of Suez Canal states. The West of Suez designates an area in the Middle East which consists of the Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The majority of the Lebanese population lives in the larger cities; this became even more so after the strong migrations to cities like the capital Beirut, Tripoli and Zahle. The number of residents in Beirut is a whopping 2.1 million which is amazing since the whole population of Lebanon is 3.820 million. The residents are 95% Arabian, 4% Armenian and 1% from other origins. These numbers are just estimates since there has not been any type of official census taken since 1932. A great majority of the Lebanese residents speak Arabic with a dialect that is similar to the Syrian and Palestinian dialect; minorities speak Kurdish, Armenian and Aramaic in addition to Arabic. Besides Arabic, French is widely spoken and English has gained substantial grounds in the last 40 years. Lebanon is home to seventeen recognized religious sects. Among them are Sunni, Shiite, Druz, Alawite, Maronite, Roman Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Protestants, and Assyrian sects.

Nature

The Republic of Lebanon covers an area of 10,452 kilometers and is only half as large as the federal state of Hessen. The landscape is varied and is divided easily into four zones.
The 225 kilometer coast-line stretches from the south to the north of the country.
The fertile region of the Bekaa Valley which lies in the shadows of the Lebanon Mountains, is considered to be the granary of the country, and is of great economic importance. With irrigation the area is well suited for vineyards; this is where the famous vineyards of Kafraiya and Kasra are located. This is also where the famous Arak is distilled and bottled. The Antilibanon Mountain Range, with the 2,814 meter high Mount Hermon, makes up the border with Syria. Another part of Lebanon’s vista is the craggy and jagged steep Lebanon Mountains that reach up to more than 3,000 meters and run parallel from north to south through the land into the Mediterranean. The countryside here is among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean. This incredible landscape is made up of Pine and cedar forests, terraced olive groves and fruit orchards that cover the mountainsides, which stay covered with snow well into April or May. Here the visitors can ski the mountains in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean in the afternoon.
The longest river is the Litani; it runs for 140 kilometers and never leaves Lebanon. The climate is as varied as the countryside; the coast has dry and warm Mediterranean summers and plenty of rainfall during the winter. The border with Syria has a very arid climate which is often compared to prairie climate since it borders on to partly desert regions of Syria and Jordan. Most of the precipitation falls in the mountains during the winter months, mostly in the form of snow. The temperatures in Beirut vary from 18 degrees Celsius in January to 30 degrees Celsius in July and August.

Politics

On November 26, 1941, Lebanon declared its independence from France. Two years later, on November 22, 1944 the former Lebanese public officers who were improsioned by France were re-instated. The latter is the date that is still celebrated as the official day of independence.
The country looks back onto long lasting economic traditions; these were aided by Lebanon’s liberal economic system and its many connections in foreign countries, mainly due to the numerous Lebanese who immigrated to these countries. In the years between 1949 and 1969, Lebanon was often called the Switzerland of the Orient because of its economic stability and political neutrality. Lebanon was also one of the founding members of the United Nations and during the original meeting in February of 1945 in San Francisco, the Lebanese delegate Charles Malik along with Eleanor Roosevelt played a key role in the proceedings. He penned important parts of the UN-Charter and the Charter of human rights.

Economy

The civil war from 1975 until 1990 as well as political unrests have caused severe economic damage and also damaged Lebanon’s reputation as a hub for trade and services in the Middle East. From 1991 on, the post war economy was geared directly towards rebuilding the war ravaged cities and this made it possible for Beirut’s inner city area to be totally restored, thus erasing almost all of the scars of war. The biggest problem the economy of the country faces today is the re-payment of its huge national debt. By the end of 2005 the extent of this debt had reached 38.5 billion US dollars; this is about 180% of the gross national product. Lebanon is also suffering from a huge foreign trade deficit. The most important imports are oil, machinery, chemicals and automobiles, yet the exports are limited to mostly raw materials for the jewelry industry.

Culture

The mixture of Oriental and European cultures and religions is more pronounced in Lebanon than in any other Middle Eastern country. Lebanon has a long tradition as home for cultural and educational centers. The Lebanese government is going to great lengths to revive the cultural life in the region and to return to its status of hub for cultural exchange in the Middle East. The needed initiatives for this come from all walks of life, especially from the private and academic sectors.
In 1998, the renowned “International Baalbek Music Festival” was revived with international attendance. In 1999, Beirut was named “Cultural Capital of the Arab World”. Lebanon presented itself to Germany at the Frankfurt Book Expo in 2004 with an excellent and multi faceted cultural program. The academic life takes place at over forty colleges and universities which have a total of 120,000 registered students. The most renowned among them are the American University of Beirut, which was founded in 1866, the Lebanese American University, the Université Saint Joseph and the Beirut Arab University. Diplomas obtained in Lebanon are recognized all over the world.

German-Lebanese Relations

Relations between Germany and Lebanon are traditionally friendly. Lebanon is a small, but interesting export market for the German economy. Germany is one of the main trade partners of Lebanon. In 2005 it delivered products worth 657 million US dollars to Lebanon which is seven percent of all Lebanese imports. Until mid-2006 Germany provided about 42.3 million euros worth of low interest credit to further the bilateral relations and the financial collaboration with Lebanon. Because of the conflicts in July and August 2006, the German government decided to help with humanitarian aid and later with a short-term rehabilitation program. The main focus of the German commitment is on industrial, vocational and occupational training, water and sewer logistics, economic growth and environmental protection.
Important areas of cultural collaboration, aside from education, are the cultural heritage and archeological research. A bilateral cultural agreement between Germany and Lebanon was signed on April 9, 2003. Among the numerous cultural institutions in Lebanon are the “Goethe-Institute, Beirut” with a branch in Tripoli, the “Orient-Institute” of the German-Asian association, the “German-Lebanese coalition for advancement of Culture” in Jounieh as well as the foreign schools in Doha and Jounieh, which put emphasis on German studies and offer day care.