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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Lebanon
Index
Founded in 1949 by members of various sects who were proponents
of social reform and progressive change, the Progressive Socialist
Parlty (PSP) has been represented in the Chamber of Deputies since
1951. The party flourished under the leadership of Kamal Jumblatt,
a charismatic--albeit somewhat enigmatic--character. Jumblatt
appealed to Druzes because of his position as zaim, to other
Muslims who were disenchanted with the traditional political
system, and to members of some other sects who were attracted by
his secular and progressive rhetoric. By 1953 the PSP claimed some
18,000 adherents, and in the 1964 Chamber of Deputies it could
count on as many as 10 deputies.
Despite its nonsectarian beginnings and secular title, by the
early 1950s the party began taking on a confessional cast. By the
1970s, this tendency was unmistakably Druze; this point was
demonstrated in 1977 when, after Kamal Jumblatt was assassinated
(perhaps by pro-Syrian Agents), his son, Walid, assumed the party
leadership, continuing Druze control of the party.
Over the years the PSP has alternately cooperated with and
opposed many of the same parties. For example, in 1952 it helped
Camille Shamun unseat Bishara al Khuri as president; then, six
years later, it was in the forefront of groups calling for Shamun's
ouster. Moreover, from 1960 to 1964, when Jumblatt and Pierre
Jumayyil served in the same cabinet, they spent much of their time
vilifying each other in their respective party newspapers; then in
1968 Jumblatt allied with Jumayyil and Raymond Iddi (also seen as
Edde) in the so-called Triple Alliance.
A reformer willing to work within the system, Kamal Jumblatt
played an active role in politics, serving in the Chamber of
Deputies and in several cabinets. Although philosophically opposed
to violence, Jumblatt was not reluctant to pursue a military course
when such action seemed necessary. The stalwart PSP militia was
involved against the government during the 1958 Civil War, took a
modest part in the Lebanese National Movement throughout the 1975
Civil War, and fought against Phalangist troops and the Lebanese
Army in the 1983 battles in the Shuf Mountains
(see
The Israel Defense Forces Withdrawal and the Mountain War
, ch. 5).
The Jumblatt family shared leadership of the Druze community
with the Yazbak clan, led by Majid Arslan. Although divisions
between these two branches have sometimes been wide, the
coordinated Druze defense of the Shuf Mountains in 1983 and 1984
helped close the rift. In addition, the Yazbaks suffered several
setbacks that drew them closer to the Jumblatt confederation.
First, Arslan's son, Faysal, became discredited when he allied with
Bashir Jumayyil and the LF before and during the 1982 Israeli
invasion. Then, they lost their traditional leader, Arslan, who
died in 1983. Consequently, by 1987 most Druze were united behind
Walid Jumblatt as leader of the PSP and its formidable militia.
Data as of December 1987
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