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France’s involvement in the Middle East at this point in history was motivated by self-interest. France wanted involvement in Lebanon in order to also gain legitimacy for controlling Syria. French interest in the greater Syria and Lebanon area was not new, as previously discussed. France’s motivations were made clear when it dropped its claims to mandate specific areas in a deal with Great Britain. Originally, France tried to also maintain authority over Palestine and the Mosul region as part of Syria. This pretense was dropped in return for shares in the Anglo-Persian oil company that had recently discovered new significant reserves of oil in Iran. This is extremely important in understanding modern ethnic divisions and problems in the Middle East, and thus of understanding some of the ethnic violence. Lebanon was being carved out of this region as a “safe haven” for Arab-Christians, while the region was a prominent location for Sunni Islam communities to reside. Palestine and the Mosul region were also predominantly Sunni Muslim, however with the French agreement they were given to the British mandate.
In the creation of Greater Lebanon, France also annexed numerous areas around and within the original territory of Lebanon. Many of the religious sects outside the Maronites, and even some Maronites expressed economic concerns over this annexation and even the separation from Syria itself. There was advocation for reunification with Syria for the economic concerns and to have political unity. However, with the French mandate and Patriarch Huwayik in control, this advocation was dismissed.
The French mandate also raised questions for fifteen years on the borders of Greater Lebanon. The goal of the Maronite Church and even the greater Christian population was to create a Christian nation-state. However, there were questions of how big Lebanon could be to remain a Christian nation while also having enough economic resources to survive. There were then questions being raised by the French of how to control the Sunni population of Syria. The borders of Lebanon could be created as to break up the Sunni population to have less prominence and therefore less threat of potentially taking power. The French argued ‘It will be easy to maintain a balance among three or four [Syrian] states that will be large enough to achieve self-sufficiency and, if need be, pit one against the other’.
The French mandate also raised questions for fifteen years on the borders of Greater Lebanon. The goal of the Maronite Church and even the greater Christian population was to create a Christian nation-state. However, there were questions of how big Lebanon could be to remain a Christian nation while also having enough economic resources to survive. There were then questions being raised by the French of how to control the Sunni population of Syria. The borders of Lebanon could be created as to break up the Sunni population to have less prominence and therefore less threat of potentially taking power. The French argued ‘It will be easy to maintain a balance among three or four [Syrian] states that will be large enough to achieve self-sufficiency and, if need be, pit one against the other’.
The way the country was divvied up was the beginning of their problems.
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