The Maronite Cause

A Glimpse into The Maronite Cause Book – Volume I

Volume I of The Maronite Cause traces the long arc of the Maronite experience and the modern political trajectory of Christians in Lebanon.

It starts from the ascetic roots with St. Maron, chronicles the first Maronite State established by Mar Yuhanna Maroun, and narrates the history of our community up to the present day.

It culminates in a central conclusion: the Lebanese state, as it currently exists and functions, no longer guarantees the survival of Christians as a vibrant and free community.

It is the evidentiary and diagnostic volume using history as proof. It corrects the narrative of Modern Lebanon as seen from a Christian perspective, making it the basis for any serious proposal for their future.

That said, what follows is a brief map of the book so the reader knows where each rung of the ladder sits and what it delivers.

Part I: The Historical Roots of the Maronite Nation

Chapter 1 — Origins of The Maronite Nation

We examine the history of the Maronites from Mar Maroun to the Ottomans and explain why Maronite freedom historically grew from the mountain’s geography, economy, and liturgy, and why that pattern still matters now.

Chapter 2 — Under The Ottoman Shadow

We analyze the development of the Maronite Nation in the Mountain under the Ottoman Empire with a focus on the experiments of Fakherdin II and the Mutasarrifate that translated the deep Maronite inclination for self-rule in the Mountain.

Chapter 3 — The Birth of the Lebanese Republic

We examine the Maronite role and logic in the creation of the Lebanese Republic and its structural problems, and analyze the transformation in Christian society that came with it from inception to independence.

Part II: The Long Collapse of the Lebanese Republic

Chapter 4 – The Lebanese Dream Broken

We investigate the crisis of 1958 and the compromise that followed that paved the way to the bloody civil war of 1975.

Chapter 5 – Civil War and the Maronite Struggle

We examine the civil war, not to re-narrate it, but to extract useful lessons from the strategies, goals, victories, and losses that Christians went through in 15 years of war.

Chapter 6 – Post-Taif Decline and Marginalization

We look into the state of Christians and Maronites in the Lebanese Republic post-Taif and shed light on the security dualism, emigration, and gradual bleed and loss of influence Christians experienced post-war.