Recorded as war looms, I get to ask some really basic questions like "what is Hezbollah anyway?" and "Isn't having two competing armies in your country a bit problematic?" I also learn about "confessionalism" - a quota system where political positions are assigned by religious affiliation. And in this lively and revealing interview with ⁠Toufic Sarieddine⁠, a member of the Lebanese diaspora, we get a first for the podcast: a guest who presents the case against democracy!

This is part one of two episodes on Lebanon. The second half of the interview will be posted shortly.

CONTENT WARNING: This and the following episode contain explicit criticism of Israel, of US/European colonialism, and of Hezbollah, and the conversation is often light hearted. If you are feeling sensitive to content of this kind at the moment, or believe you may find this difficult to hear, it might be a good idea to skip these episodes.

What Democracy Looks Like In... is a podcast where ordinary voters explain how democracy works in their countries. In each episode an emigrant voter and a voter currently on the ground describe their lived experiences of democracy, of voting, and of trust versus corruption in their home country.

Find out more about the topics discussed in this episode and the series as a whole at ⁠⁠www.democracyinpodcast.com⁠⁠!