The political life in Lebanon is characterized by divisions that revolve around identity and especially religious identity. The divisions have been deepening in the past years due to the regional upheaval after the “Arab Spring” and the sectarian turn that the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have taken.

To maintain peace in Lebanon, identity conflicts must be reduced and political life must be transformed into a healthy debate about ideas, programs, rights and obligations.

To this end, the Democratic Renewal Movement discusses politically relevant issues with academics, experts from international organizations and institutions, representatives from the public sector, the private sector and the civil society to diversify opinions and resources. The policy paper on “Managing religious diversity in democratic systems; a roadmap towards a civil state in Lebanon”, presented and discussed on the 28th of October, will be subsequently published with the aim of implementing a paradigm shift in Lebanon, characterized by a shift away from the “identity politics” of recent decades towards a “program policy.”