Carl Yonker

The Syrian Social Nationalist Party devoted itself to reviving and unifying the Syrian nation and establishing this nation’s complete independence over its historical homeland, Greater Syria. It continues its struggle today, influencing and shaping Lebanese and Syrian society and politics. Yet, the party remains largely unknown and misunderstood, a condition that stems from the lack of any comprehensive study of it. This book fills this gap.

Based on an extensive and thorough examination of Arabic, French, and English primary sources, the monograph is the first comprehensive, systematic history of the SSNP to date, detailing its struggle to fulfill its nationalist vision and establish a secular, independent state in Greater Syria through a thorough analysis of its formation, evolution, and political activities in Lebanon and Syria.

The historical development of secularism and the idea of a civil state in Lebanon has faced numerous challenges and controversies, as Mark Farha details in this thoroughly researched study, Lebanon: The Rise and Fall of a Secular State under Siege. Every Lebanese politician and political organization has, at some point, paid lip service to the idea of a secular civil state, but such a state has yet to be realized. The most ardent proponents of secularism in Lebanon were the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, avowedly secular youth-dominated popular organizations, but other popular organizations also spoke of secularizing the state. In time, these youth-dominated popular organizations, whose early histories are the subject of Dylan Baun's magnificent book, Winning Lebanon: Youth Politics, Populism, and the Production of Sectarian Violence, 1920–1958, “grew up” and became part of a political establishment that was not keen on reform and political change. In their place, an array of new youth-dominated popular organizations, including university student clubs and civil society organizations, have become the standard bearers for secularism. Using Farha's and Baun's works as a broad framework, this article explores secularism and youth politics in Lebanon following the Ṭaʾif Accords.

The Syrian Social Nationalist Party devoted itself to reviving and unifying the Syrian nation and establishing this nation’s complete independence over its historical homeland, Greater Syria. It continues its struggle today, influencing and shaping Lebanese and Syrian society and politics. Yet, the party remains largely unknown and misunderstood, a condition that stems from the lack of any comprehensive study of it. This book fills this gap. Based on an extensive and thorough examination of Arabic, French, and English primary sources, the monograph is the first comprehensive, systematic history of the SSNP to date, detailing its struggle to fulfill its nationalist vision and establish a secular, independent state in Greater Syria through a thorough analysis of its formation, evolution, and political activities in Lebanon and Syria.

The historical development of secularism and the idea of a civil state in Lebanon has faced numerous challenges and controversies, as Mark Farha details in this thoroughly researched study, Lebanon: The Rise and Fall of a Secular State under Siege. Every Lebanese politician and political organization has, at some point, paid lip service to the idea of a secular civil state, but such a state has yet to be realized. The most ardent proponents of secularism in Lebanon were the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, avowedly secular youth-dominated popular organizations, but other popular organizations also spoke of secularizing the state. In time, these youth-dominated popular organizations, whose early histories are the subject of Dylan Baun's magnificent book, Winning Lebanon: Youth Politics, Populism, and the Production of Sectarian Violence, 1920–1958, “grew up” and became part of a political establishment that was not keen on reform and political cha...