Lebanon is a country with great cultural diversity, with 20 or so ethno-religious groups that have coexisted for centuries. While all those group have the Arab language in common, the relationship was always tumultuous, with many groups seeking the protection of foreign powers at various points in history.
The arrival of many Palestinian refugees after the 1949 Arab-Israeli war increased the tensions, and this descended into a full scale civil war in 1975. That war would last 15 years, take more than 100,000 lives, and see the intervention of its two powerful neighbours, Syria and Israel, as well as the presence of a UN interposition force.
A truce was signed in 1990 and the country has recovered common political institutions and some degree of stability, but the tensions remain high to this day and could easily lead to more violence, in a region that is marked by instability.
More on Lebanon
The Lebanon Civil War
