Serving as Speaker: Reaching National Status; Losing Shi‘ite Hegemony

Abstract

The election of Nabih Berri as speaker of the Lebanese Parliament in October 1992 gave him the opportunity, apparently, to establish himself as the omnipotent leader of the Lebanese Shi‘a. Two factors played in his favor: first, Lebanon after the Ta’if Accord was under the dominance of Syria, Berri’s main ally from the days of the civil war; and second, the power and authority of the Parliament speaker expanded under the Ta’if political rules. Despite these advantages, Berri gradually lost his dominance in the Shi‘ite community in favor of the rival organization, Hizballah, and the latter’s dominant leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Still, Berri became a central person in Lebanese politics during the post-civil war era, also known as “Ta’if’s Lebanon.” In some aspects, one can value him as the pillar of stability in the Lebanese political system during that period. This chapter will discuss the way Berri became so important in the Lebanese state and the reasons for losing his supremacy in the Shi‘ite community in spite of his top national status. The answers involve many factors, including the dynamics of Lebanese politics, Syrian influence in Lebanon, and regional processes and tendencies within the Lebanese Shi‘ite community.