Abstract
This chapter concludes the book with a discussion of the role of Michel Aoun and Gebran Bassil in Lebanese politics. It blames local and regional political conditions for the Free Patriotic Movement’s sectarian shift. It analyzes how this sectarian regional environment contributed to Aoun’s Christian orientalist outlook and to his election as Lebanon’s President in 2016. It details Bassil’s political strategies and contributions to Lebanese politics, and evaluates his role in fostering the party’s longevity. It then makes important recommendations to ensure continuance of the FPM by amending party goals (ranking them in long- and short-term order), resolving disputes and upholding party principles.
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Helou, J.P. (2020). The General Turned President, the Son-in-Law Groomed as Leader and the Dream Lost in Translation. In: Activism, Change and Sectarianism in the Free Patriotic Movement in Lebanon . Reform and Transition in the Mediterranean. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25704-0_6
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