Coll 54/2 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Working Party' [‎40r] (79/642)

The Lebanon
Economic and Social Development
Part 1 .
Introduction.
Though the smallest, both from the point of view of
population and of area, of all the Member States of the Arab
League, the Lebanon is in many respects the most remarkable.
I + ^ 1:LI ? at 2 undoubtedly the best in the Middle East. The
no^ n(iar +• ^ ilG Sweater part of the population is
o iparativoly high Public health is by Middle Sast standards
good. education facilities are considerable and illiteracy is
in many parts of the country virtually unknown. Individual
in in + 1 vo . on ’k'3rp*’isG exist in a high degree and are
reilooted in the largo number of Lebanese emigrants to be found
m all parts of the world. It is in effect estimated that there
are as many Lebanese living abroad as there are in the Lebanon.
The merchants of Beirut are well known for their commercial skill
? n ^ a * 5 °fi GnCG * In the diversity of sects (roughly
haif of the population is Christian and half Moslem) the various
elements live together in relative harmony. In general the
Lebanese are the least xenophobic in the Middle 3ast and it is
not without justification that the Lebanonhas been described as
^ na ^ U K al between the 3ast and the West. Economically
the Lebanon is very much an enigma*
The possibilities of development are considerable though
country ’q °irii'n ^vof^ 0 P oasiblu . 111 Sgypt, Iraq and Syria. Tho
^ 3 mair ? Physical resource is water and its use both for
r v-^ii?f+ 1 ^ n 4 . ari +v, th0 d ? volo P mon t of hydro-electric power should be
exploited to the maximum. In the interests of>stability,
a^o 1 i U ?‘ arly as th ? dos tructive forces of Communism are not without
appeal m some sorni-oducation quarters in the Lebanon, opportunities
of economic and social development should not be i^ssed.
2* Political
v> ThG hobsmon (jind Syria) achieved complete independence
a £ tor p Sora ? ^ WGn ^ y “* fiv G yoars under French mandatory rule in 19L6
itar ? forcos wara evacuatod, Tho proucrl rl^mo
may described as Arab Nationalist and in general derives its
section h of r th^ t nh Q l° ln ?hts in the population and from a
S h h 3tl ?? S (®- ranl J r thoso who sympathisa with tha
^als of Arab Nationalism). Christian influence however to
some extent serves to moderate Arab Nationalism and in general
extremism is absent. b x ‘ rUL
As might be expected the Arab Nationalists in tho Lebanon
are closely associated „ith Nationalists in Syria and as a
result the Lebanon has in tho past tended to fall in with Syria’s
p ^ 1 i? al ?*i gnr ? on ? with s ^ ud i Arabia and Egypt. Following the
Palestine debacle however this tondonc.y has become less marked
and more emphasis is now laid on Lebanese neutrality in
inter-Arab rivalries. This has boon accompanied by an improvement
m relations with tho Hashemite States.
Tho