Rearranging Deckchairs on the Titanic? Consensus, Corruption and Crisis: Lebanon after the Ta’if Agreement

Abstract

This essay discusses if there is a causal link between the nature of a peace agreement and the incidence of corruption. It examines the case of post-war Lebanon and looks at the decade following the settlement of Lebanon's bitter civil war (1975-1989). The essay treats corruption as the dependent variable and shows how the rise of blurred, uncodified institutions and the weakening of the state's control agencies can be traced back to the nature of the peace agreement. It argues that the particular logic of consensus that marked the Ta'if Accord resulted in an increase of corruption