This book argues that the state in Lebanon has failed. It argues that the consociational power-sharing system is the cause of this, in that it allows members of the political elites to pursue the interests of their own sect, often in corrupt ways, rather than work in the interests of Lebanon overall. It traces developments from the nineteenth century onwards, through the formation of Lebanon by the French mandatory power in 1920, through independence and the making of the constitution in 1943, internal conflicts including the civil war of 1975-1989, the various settlements, rarely implemented as planned, and on to recent events where the collapse of the state shows itself in the government’s failure to provide basic public services, such as clean water, rubbish collection, electricity and fast internet. It highlights how foreign powers have often intervened, but contends that any lasting settlement has to be the result of internal initiatives which would involve inclusive citizenship, demolishing sectarianism, and prioritizing the role of institutions and the rule of law.