Preventing Violent Extremism the Lebanese Way: A Critical Analysis of the Lebanese PVE Strategy

The people of Lebanon have suffered from decades of religious violence and terrorism. However, strategies for countering terrorism and violent extremism in Lebanon have been significantly obstructed by political divisions due to an exclusive security-driven approach. The unanimous adoption by the Lebanese Government of a “National Strategy for Preventing Violent Extremism” in 2018 has been viewed by many as a manifestation of the desire of political leaders to finally address the root causes of violence in the Land of the Cedars. This article seeks to show that this might be a mistaken perception as there persists a profound resistance from the political establishment to make the changes necessary to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism more effectively.