Les ONG au Liban : l'exemple de l'USAID

This article focuses on lebanese NGOs and their links with USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), which acts as a veritable « super-NGO ». USAID insists that its decisions are fully independent; however, it is closely dependent on the U.S. Congress for funding. In Lebanon, religious communities rather than the state are the foundation of public order and each denomination has its own charitable network. This raises questions concerning the definition of citizenship and the construction of social ties in this context of strong religious communitarianism and a weak state. This paper considers, through case-studies of several development projects, the contexts, limits and challenges to the activities of USAID in Lebanon. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]