“As Lebonese we love our culture very much. It’s our
politicians who are always trying to divide us.” Lebanon has unfortunately dominated the news this week for all the wrong reasons.

To help those of us abroad try to understand a little of the context, I decided to republish the lively, informative, and often hilarious conversation I had with Lebanese expat ⁠Toufic Sarieddine⁠ back at the beginning of August 2024.

In this bonus version you can hear the full interview in one episode.

My conversation with Toufic covered everything from what Hezbollah is and what it's doing in Lebanon anyway, the political quota system that is meant to promote religious harmony but ends up entrenching family dynasties, why Lebanon should really be an atheist country, and the power of charisma. Oh, and listen out for a first on this podcast... an argument *against* democracy.

What Democracy Looks Like In... is a podcast where ordinary voters explain how democracy works in their country. 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.
Subscribe, share, or even support the podcast by visiting www.democracyinpodcast.com.