The Maronite Cause

We previously addressed the economic objection to a self-governed Christian region in Mount Lebanon, and now it’s time to expand further on how such an economy can thrive without the shackles of the central Lebanese state.

The vision we propose applies whether the Christian region is an independent state, a de facto canton within the Republic, or a legally autonomous area in a federal or confederal arrangement.

It’s important to mention this again: I realize we’re talking about years of work to build the conditions needed for Christian self-governance, but my mission here is to address all objections, squash all doubt in our political mind, and show that self-determination is viable and within reach.

The Republic is Already Economically Failed

First, we have to keep in mind that the current Lebanese Republic is paralyzed and financially bankrupt, with almost no GDP growth. Any objection to a new arrangement on economic grounds must account for the fact that the Republic has already failed economically.

Services make up nearly 90% of Lebanese GDP today; industry only accounts for 2.4%, and agriculture around 1%. More than 75% of this GDP is concentrated in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The Mountain, where Christian presence is concentrated, is already the most productive region and therefore already viable.

Its strengths are real but underused and are being drained by a broken center.

Agri-food is already an export industry in the Mountain, for example, but stalled by political instability, corruption, broken inspections, and cold-chain gaps. Wood and stone crafts have the talent but lack certification and design support. Tourism exists but suffers from instability, failing infrastructure, and arbitrary fees. Education and health are huge sectors in Christian areas, and they survive and anchor employment despite the challenges. Tech and services are made of thousands of youth who are already freelancing in coding, design, accounting, and content, but all of them are held back by lack of electricity, bad internet, and banking failures. Water and energy need just one modern power plant plus hydro to deliver a 24/7 supply.

In short, the Mountain does not need magic and already functions well economically. The common challenge that all its sectors face is a paralyzed and corrupt center, and high taxes that never get reinvested in our areas. All we need for the Mountain to thrive is good governance, clean permits, clear standards, reliable electricity and internet, cold chain, and a functional and transparent banking sector.

If the political vetoes of Beirut are removed and the Mountain can administer its own affairs, it can realistically double or triple the current GDP of the entire Lebanese Republic within a few years.

Moreso, let’s discuss how an independent administration can tweak our economy further and build one of the most thriving countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

1. An Export-minded Economy

For decades Lebanese politicians promised to develop industry and agriculture to reduce reliance on services. An independent administration in the Mountain can actually do it. An export desk modeled on Slovenia’s approach would handle buyer calendars, standards coaching, Incoterms training, price decks, sample logistics, along with a diaspora distributor map and quarterly deal rooms. Favorable tax and legislative policies would remove remaining frictions.

Digitized governance with verifiable digital IDs would enable e-signing, fast company formation, e-invoicing and payments, and make it easier for our people to start and run businesses.

Land stewardship policies for terrace repair, forest maintenance, water preservation, and a “Mountain Goods” quality mark would protect and develop the natural base without destroying the environment to grow the economy.

We discuss the Slovenian model in detail in our book The Maronite Cause, but what we can mention here quickly is that a focused niche strategy can launch and thrive quickly without major restructuring for things like: honey, cheese, herbs, wood and stone crafts, natural cosmetics, furniture, and instruments.

Add to it tech services exports in coding, accounting ops, design and localization, and you already have an economy that doesn’t rely solely on diaspora remittance for foreign currency.

2. A Service-capable Economy

With proper infrastructure, the service sector would expand naturally. Restaurants, ski resorts, environmental tourism, and pilgrimage services would all operate under streamlined certifications, supported by reliable transport, functional energy and water grids, and fast internet.

Logistics would include normal roads, port access agreements, cold-chain co-ops, shared fulfillment centers and modular e-commerce.

The vast majority of Lebanese tourism is already in the mountains; with a few years of stability and good governance, this sector can finally reach its potential.

3. A Terrain-tuned Economy

No reinvention is required. Agro-food, wood and stone crafts, and existing industrial capacity are already present. A functional state would boost them with specialized academies, cold-chain facilities, label laws and barcodes that signal quality. Shared research labs and design fellowships would connect diaspora talent to village workshops.

Eco-tourism and pilgrimage networks need only refined trails, certified guides, conservation fees that fund maintenance, heritage guesthouses and one unified digital booking hub. Tech services would flourish through “digital guilds” with apprenticeships and reliable coworking hubs in monasteries and schools.

Energy and water systems can be adapted to the terrain with hydro, wind and solar, and would stabilize supply and raise living standards across all sectors.

4. A Diaspora-linked Economy

The diaspora would shift from a tip jar to an engine of growth. A system of E-residency like the one Estonia has modeled would issue verifiable digital IDs allowing Christians and Druze abroad to e-sign documents, found companies, invest, employ workers and hold stakes in Mountain exporters, all done from Dubai, Montréal, Paris or Sydney.

Every diaspora man and woman can finally participate directly in shaping the future of their homeland and reap the fruits of their hard work through proper investments with clear ledgers, transparent revenue sharing, and no political corruption.

Ring-fenced endowments for education, health, startups and civil protection can be established and audited by independent boards. A program of seasonal service and fellowships for teachers, medics, IT specialists and tradespeople would convert international expertise into local capacity while giving diaspora members a tangible stake in their homeland and a true connection with their community.

5. A Financially Boring Economy

Illegal monetary schemes will not be tolerated like in the Lebanese Republic. Public funds will not serve personal enrichment. Taxes and budgets will be clear and predictable: low VAT, property tax, excises, environmental fees, utility dividends and modest corporate tax to encourage formalization.

The system will be boring by design: rules over moods, ledgers over legends. Budgets will be balanced on accrual, published in machine-readable form and audited annually by an independent authority. Open contracting will require beneficial-ownership disclosure.

The central bank or currency board will have a narrow mandate limited to price stability and bank supervision. Municipal transfers will follow formulas, not favors, with quarterly public reports. A stabilization fund, procurement blacklists and automatic spending caps will handle any regional shocks. Officials will file public asset declarations and a protected whistleblower channel will track real performance: outage minutes, water uptime, court clearance rates and export receipts.

When money follows rules and accountability, firms can plan, families can save, and investors can trust. Predictability is the cheapest economic stimulus.

6. A Thriving Christian Canton

The Mountain economy is viable because it already rests on a tangible reality and has people who are already working despite a broken center. With clean permits, steady power and water, a transparent financial system and an accountable political one, these same actors can scale into exports and stable jobs. The e-commons will connect the diaspora as owners and operators while a civil-protection culture will keep shocks short. The Christian administration will succeed by being reliable, lawful, neutral and efficient.

That is the vision: reality over illusions, quality over volume, rules over favors, and stewardship over depletion. The Christians of this country are one of the most educated, intelligent, resilient, and hardworking communities in the world. Building a modest functional economy that pays salaries today and endures storms is something they can handle with ease. Maybe this is one of the reasons why everyone insists on keeping them chained in this Republic, because we all know how easy it will be to thrive without them.