This paper addresses identity-driven fragmentation in the Levant and Iraq. It proposes an intellectual coalition and grassroots network to promote reconciliation. The goal is to foster regional cohesion through dialogue, trust, and shared development.
A Complex Mosaic Within and Beyond Borders
The Levant and Iraq form a geographically and culturally intertwined region defined not merely by physical boundaries, but by a deeply layered mosaic of religious, sectarian, and ethnic identities. In Iraq, diversities run along Shia–Sunni, Arab–Kurdish, and Yazidi–Chaldean lines. Syria’s identities revolve around Alawite, Sunni, Druze, Kurdish, and Christian affiliations. Lebanon’s constitutionally recognized 18 sects continue to shape a fragmented political reality. Meanwhile, the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora experience deep ideological and regional splits between the West Bank, Gaza, and the 1948 territories. Jordan also contains a social fabric defined by diverse origins, including East Bank tribes, Palestinians, Circassians, Chechens, Armenians, and smaller communities of Kurds, Druze, and Afro-Jordanians, all successfully governed through a mix of national citizenship and tacit acknowledgment of identity-based distinctions.
This diversity is not inherently problematic. The real issue lies in the absence of a modern social contract, one that embraces plurality within a legal and institutional framework capable of preventing fragmentation during times of crisis.
Post-Collapse: Vertical and Horizontal Disintegration of State and Society
What occurred in Iraq post-2003, in Syria after 2011, and in Lebanon following the unraveling of the post-Taif system, illustrates both vertical (state–citizen) and horizontal (intra-societal) disintegration. Iraq’s sectarian governing system has fragmented the state into loyalty networks rather than a unified citizenry. Syria’s civil war triggered foreign interventions that fueled regionalism, sectarianism, and militia dominance. Lebanon’s decaying sectarian structure and crumbling economy have rendered sects, not the state, the main guarantor of individual security.
According to insights shared during the Levant and Iraq Forum (Amman, June 2025), several contributors noted that almost two thirds of people in the region distrust formal political institutions, with many prioritizing communal affiliations over national identity. While these figures are anecdotal, they align broadly with findings from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung’s 2021–2022 regional youth study (The Dispossessed Generation), which surveyed 12,000 youth across the MENA region—including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan—and documented low trust in governance and a prevalent desire among youth to emigrate
Regional Relations Held Hostage by Identity Alignments
When relations between Iraq and Syria, or Jordan and Lebanon, or Palestine and Iraq are influenced by how each state’s factions view identities in the other, then any talk of regional integration must start with redefining the state–society relationship within each country. Official intergovernmental solidarity is often undermined by internal alignments: Iraqi Kurds have differing views from the central government regarding Syria, Iraqi Sunnis see Jordan as a natural ally, and some Shiite factions consider Lebanon a strategic extension. In this way, geography becomes a channel for identity-based calculus rather than a platform for cooperation.
Toward Intellectual and Societal Reconciliation Beyond Rigid Identities
The solution does not begin with constitutions alone, it starts at the apex of intellectual engagement. Hence the importance of proposing the creation of a Levant–Iraq intellectual coalition (The Levant and Iraq Forum), serving as a permanent regional platform for dialogue, knowledge generation, and the crafting of a unifying narrative that transcends historical divisions and hardened identities.
This coalition would function as a flexible cross-border intellectual network, bringing together think tanks and research institutions from across the region. Its role would be to coordinate initiatives, incubate collaborative projects, and inject policy-making with actionable ideas—free from political or partisan constraints. It could also serve as an intellectual umbrella for grassroots dialogue, helping to produce shared visions for social cohesion, reconciliation, and inclusive civic education.
Deep Societal Engagement: A Grassroots Reconciliation Network
In parallel with the intellectual and organizational framework, a grassroots reconciliation network must be activated. Grounded in local associations and civil society organizations, it should:
- Launch community dialogues in fractured urban and rural areas;
- Train young leaders in conflict resolution and cultural tolerance;
- Support participatory development initiatives between diverse communities;
- Document bottom-up societal narratives to construct a counter-narrative to the politicized official discourse.
Rebuilding a Cohesive Society Through Development and Economic Partnership
True societal reconciliation is inseparable from improving living conditions and expanding economic opportunities. Rebuilding a cohesive, coexisting society in the Levant and Iraq demands launching sustainable development projects rooted in local needs and managed with a participatory spirit. These projects not only generate economic benefit but also deepen inter-citizen partnerships, restore trust among social components, and foster constructive cross-community engagement.
Regionally, such projects can lay the foundation for stronger economic ties through agricultural exchange networks, industrial supply chains, and cross-border infrastructure. The deeper the economic interdependence, the weaker the motivations for conflict and fragmentation—and the stronger the shared interests worth preserving.
A New Narrative: From Conflict to Productive Coexistence
This intellectual and societal movement should ultimately yield a new narrative—not one that rehashes past grievances, but one that transforms diversity into a form of soft economic and cultural power. Such a narrative could underpin an unwritten regional social contract, guided by the principles of partnership, dignity, and mutual respect—where identity differences are not politicized or weaponized.
The future of the Levant and Iraq cannot be built solely through top-down settlements. It requires a profound intellectual “surgery” targeting the collective consciousness—led by a coalition that transcends identity boundaries and prioritizes human dignity and social peace over dominance and control.