Lebanese Diaspora and Citizenship: Beyond Remittances

The Lebanese diaspora has historically had its feet in its country of residence and felt homesick at the same time. While this is not particular to the Lebanese context, what differentiates the Lebanese diaspora is its sheer size and Lebanon’s legacy over the centuries of sending some of its brightest overseas. One might be tempted to consider this as a brain drain, but there has also been a considerable gain: the country has in fact capitalised on its foreign human wealth in terms of trade, remittances and investment, in addition to social capital and reach. Indeed, expats save and invest in Lebanon – largely due to banking secrecy and higher-than-normal interest rates –, invest in business and real estate, and remit to family and friends. Resulting in its current demise, the Lebanese financial model, since 1990s, relied on the constant inflow of foreign currency as one of its pillars, most of which is dispatched by the diaspora. But beyond just monetary remittances, how does the Lebanese diaspora contribute to Lebanon’s social cohesion, peace, and growth? Undoubtedly, the monetary remittances and their contribution to financial stability and reconstruction of Lebanon in the Post- Taif period contributed to the country’s journey of rebuilding and reconciliation. However, an often-overlooked element of migration is the social remittances. The idea of social remittances hinges on the ability of expats to exchange ideas, skills, and social capital (including peace, human rights, and democracy) between their countries of origin and destination. While there is no shortage of good values, skills, and philosophies in Lebanon, certain practices in public resource management, human rights, and solid democratic processes can be enhanced based on foreign experiences. The propagation of new ideas and experiences creates a new socio-political ‘imaginary’, which is a set of values, norms, institutions, and practices through which one can project their society, the social contract, and the public sphere. This imaginary, therefore, promotes a sense of belonging and shared purpose, and ultimately, citizenship. During the turbulent times that Lebanon is currently going through, the heightened level of energy and mobilisation among the diaspora is clearly visible. While traditionally seen as unable to instigate change in the confessional divisions in the homeland, and indeed within diaspora politics and associations, the latest movements that have emerged since October 2019 have proved a structural change in the outlook of the diaspora towards homeland politics – very much in line with the mobilisation on the streets of Lebanon. There thus came a global movement of “Meghterbin Mejtemiin” or “United Emigrants”. They were united, in the order of thousands across major cities, in solidarity with their friends and family back home, raising the voice against corruption, poor governance, and injustice. They protested, organised fundraisers and donation drives, launched a campaign to encourage as many immigrants as possible to go back home for the holidays, reinvigorated professional associations (e.g. Lebanese International Finance Executives), and started new initiatives in their countries of destination (such as Impact Lebanon – in the UK, among others). These solidarity initiatives raise the morale back home and create a sense of shared citizenship that is transnational and de-territorialised.