Post-War Beirut: Place Attachment and Interest Groups in Ayn Al-Mreisi

Abstract

This paper examines post-war Beirut to explore the circumstances under which interest groups emerge in response to urban development projects, to privatization, and to the activities of regional and international investors. The paper refers to the postwar era in Beirut as a “postwar state of emergency,” where the roles of the state's institutions, development agencies, and private investors overlap, making it hard for urban communities to access services and to gain rights to spaces and services. In response, new leadership has emerged, alliances among the various groups have changed, and networks of neighbours and family members have been altered. These changes in alliances and relationships, a key theme in my study, will determine Beirut's future governance and political system. In this paper I discuss the relationship and the negotiation process between, on the one side, powerful actors—Solidere, investors and developers, and the Municipality of Beirut—and on the other, local interest groups—such as pr...