1949 -
Lebanese politician.
Like his father, Kamal, Walid Jumblatt did not seek the political leadership of the Druze community in Lebanon or of the Jumblatt family. It was thrust upon him in the wake of his father's assassination in 1977. Jumblatt studied at the American University of Beirut and seemed uninterested in politics. In his first years as leader, he was uncomfortable with his new role and merely followed his father's path. However, he quickly made peace with the regime in Syria. He later abandoned his father's pan-Arab vision and decided to focus more on the affairs of the community. Following Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Walid reorganized the Progressive Socialist Party, making it a purely Druze fighting force. He led the defense of the predominantly Druze mountain areas against the encroachments of the Maronite-led Lebanese Forces. His stand within the community was strengthened when he allowed his militias to fight an all-out war against the Lebanese Forces, aided by some Palestine Liberation Organization factions. The fighting, in what became known as the War of the Mountains in 1983, was accompanied by bloody massacres, committed by both sides.
Jumblatt survived a 1982 assassination attempt that soured his relationship with the regime of Amin Jumayyil. He later formed the nucleus of the opposition to Jumayyil after the agreement of 17 May 1983 between Israel and Lebanon, which was rejected by Syria. Jumblatt dissolved his militia after the election of Ilyas al-Hirawi as president in 1989. He ran in the 1992 elections and won. His party also won another seat in parliament, bringing its total to ten. Jumblatt was named minister for the affairs of the displaced peoples in 1994 and served in several other cabinet positions.
Jumblatt's close relations with Syria, dating back to the 1980s, began to change in autumn 2000, when he joined his voice to what had been a largely Christian call for a reduction of the Syrian troop presence in Lebanon. He and his political allies, including Christians, did well in parliamentary elections, indicating a shift in his long-held political strategy.
Bibliography
AbuKhalil, As'ad. Historical Dictionary of Lebanon. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1998.
— AS'AD ABUKHALIL
UPDATED BY MICHAEL R. FISCHBACH
