The Future of Humanitarian Work and Political Representation in Lebanon

The Role of the Lebanese Red Cross and the Limitations of Humanitarian Actors

Abstract

In a world full of injustice and tragedy, humanity relies on those who insist on offering a glimmer of hope; those who have not lost faith in the supremacy and necessity of International Humanitarian Law, even in the face of repeated failures by the international community to establish peace, preserve human dignity, and uphold the ethics of war. In a country like Lebanon, humanitarian action is not a luxury. It is a daily struggle to uphold human rights where traditional governance and political representation are under severe strain. In this sense, understanding Lebanon’s context is crucial to appreciating the importance of humanitarian actors’ work there. Lebanon is a multi-crisis state, with crises that are not sequential but overlapping and mutually exacerbating. The most recent protracted economic and financial collapse has broken the already tenuous social contract between the state and its citizens, creating a massive crisis in service delivery and prompting a United Nations reporter to describe Lebanon as a “failing state” (Chahine, 2021). In this political vacuum, where the state fails to protect the most basic rights of its citizens, humanitarian actors, from large international bodies to local non-governmental organizations, were left to fill the gap. However, this aid, while essential for survival, cannot solve the fundamental political problems. The challenge is deepened by the “politicization of aid,” in which assistance is often tied to geopolitical motives and allocated along sectarian lines, reinforcing domestic divisions and stalling structural reforms. In this context, there is no more catastrophic example than the 2020 Beirut Port Blast. This explosion was not merely a tragic accident; it was a profound crisis of governance and accountability, as the state failed to fulfil its duty to protect citizens' right to life and safety, leaving humanitarian actors to fill the void (Riebl, 2020). Among all NGOs, the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) is leading the humanitarian action, playing an essential role in upholding those ideals, not in theory, but on the ground. This is why a closer examination of the Lebanese Red Cross’ challenges will yield a clearer understanding of the future of humanitarian work in Lebanon.