CONTEMPORARY EURASIA IX ( 1 )
LILIT HARUTYUNYAN
THE NEW IMAGE OF THE BUSINESS ELITE IN LEBANESE POLITICS : RAFIK AND SAAD HARIRI , NAJIB MIKATI AND ISSAM FARES
Abstract : The resignation of Saad Hariri in January 2011 was surrounded by frantic analysis . Did the backing , new Prime Minister Najib Mikati received from Hezbollah , means that the Shia movement had taken over the government ? Could Mikati ’ s arguments of “ independence ” be taken seriously ? 1 Much of the analyses focus on one of the most interesting aspects of this changeover - how important was the fact that both prime ministers ( Hariri and Mikati ) were billionaire businessmen ? The paper aims to explore the interplay of new business elite ’ s economic interests with the politics of confessionism and foreign alliances . What explains the rise of new businessmen and variations in their relative success as politicians and investors in Lebanon ? This question will be measured along three dimensions : success in reaching political office ; in gaining control of institutions to further their economic agenda ; and in gathering a popular following . In order to address these three questions , the careers of four new contractors - Rafik and Saad Hariri , Najib Mikti and Issam Fares , will be examined . The paper based on historicalcomparative and analytical methods of research . The role of above mentioned four contractors is observed with the evaluation approach in the context of confessional , social-economic and political situation of Lebanon . The research methodology also incorporates the issues of a class analysis with the refinement of the sociology of the business elite in Lebanese politics . Keywords : Lebanon , confessional political system , businessmenpoliticians , Hariri , Hezbollah , clientelism , zuama , politics , Sunni , Shia
Introduction
The Sunni businessman-politician Rafik Hariri and his son Saad Hariri remain the benchmark of success for this new class in Lebanon . After Rafik Hariri ' s assassination in 2005 , Hariri ally Fuad Siniora ( 2005-2009 ) and later his son Saad Hariri ( 2009-2011 ) assumed the position of prime minister . The
1Anthony Shadid , “ Hezbollah Chooses Lebanon ’ s Next Prime Minister ”, The New York Times , January 24 , 2011 . https :// www . nytimes . com / 2011 / 01 / 25 / world / middleeast / 25lebanon . html ( Accessed May 30 , 2020 ) “ Hezbollah-backed candidate poised to become Lebanon PM ”, The Guardian , January 24 , 2011 . https :// www . theguardian . com / world / 2011 / jan / 24 / hezbollah-backedcandidate-lebanon-pm ( Accessed May 30 , 2020 ) 4