As Lebanon struggles to overcome a new crisis, a look into its recent past reveals that while a number of those who played a key role in shaping -- and often destroying -- the country are by now dead, others are still actively engaged in today's battles. As, yet again, Lebanon is being now torn along ideological and sectarian divisions; some of its leaders are trying to transcend the divisions, while others are not. The following biographies are listed in alphabetical order, not according to historical relevance. Readers should note the predominance of ruling families. Michel Aoun Michel Aoun served as prime minister (1988-1990) and as acting president for one of two governments contending against each other for power. He is, however, far better known for his role as former Lebanese army chief, for his relentless opposition to Syria, both from within Lebanon and from exile, and for promoting his own particular messianic and isolationist brand of Lebanese nationalism. From Paris, he currently leads the Free Patriotic Party, and in 2005 promises to return to Lebanon to join forces with the opposition movement. Early on in his life, he enrolled in the Lebanese army and after gaining rapid promotion, he received training both in France and in the United States. Not unlike other Lebanese leaders, Aoun's name is shrouded in controversy. While for many he is a war criminal, for others he represents a symbol of Lebanese freedom and nationalism. Nabih Berri Speaker of parliament since 1992, Berri embarked on his political career as founder and leader of Amal, the first movement comprised solely of Shias -- historically the most disadvantaged class in Lebanon. As leader of Amal he attracted far more support than he has in his years in parliament, as he is now seen by many as completely under the wing of the Assad regime in Syria. During the war, he was involved in fighting on many fronts, including wars with the left- wing factions, the Palestinians, the Israelis and Hezbollah. Camille Chamoun A highly powerful Maronite leader, Camille Chamoun was an advocate of Christian supremacy in Lebanon. He founded the Liberal Party in order to achieve this aim, and pursued highly manipulative political strategies in order to gain personal power. Though he held the presidency (1952-1958), and fought bitterly to rid Lebanon of the Palestinian presence, he faded into the background as his radical policies eventually backfired on him and he found himself, eventually, without allies in a constantly shifting political reality. He died in 1987. His elder son Dani Chamoun was assassinated in the early 1990s by Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese forces and currently imprisoned. His other son Dori now heads of the Liberal Party. Pierre Gemayel Founder of the radical Maronite Phalange party during the 1930s, and father of Bashir Gemayel and Amin Gemayel , Pierre Gemayel was elected to parliament in 1960. When the Lebanese civil war broke out, the Phalange party became an active militia, and Gemayel its leader. An admirer of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany, he believed in order and power, and directed his beliefs solely towards the Christian population of Lebanon. Promoter of policies seeking unquestionable Maronite supremacy in Lebanon, he was prepared to go to any lengths in order to guarantee this. He died in 1984, having already founded a dynasty under his name. Bashir Gemayel Son of Pierre Gemayel, Bashir Gemayel inherited leadership of the Phalange. Educated in the United States, he practiced law in Beirut before turning to politics. His first direct intervention in the Phalange came in the form of his establishment of the "BG Squad" in 1974, just one year prior to the outbreak of the Lebanese war. Its aim was to fight the Palestinian presence in Lebanon. War on this front was to remain the focus of the Phalange. The Phalange formed a strong alliance with the Israeli occupation forces as of 1982. Shortly after Gemayel was elected president in 1982, he was assassinated in the headquarters of the Phalange in Achrafiye. Rafiq Al-Hariri Sunni billionaire and politician, Rafiq Al-Hariri was killed on 14 January 2005, thus gaining the title of martyr. He was prime minister twice, resigning the second time round with the Syrian-promoted extra- constitutional extension of Emile Lahoud's mandate, and thus announcing a policy shift away from the backing of the Syrians, something he had enjoyed up until then. Described as the man who brought peace and reconstruction to Lebanon after a 15-year-long war by initiating the Taif Accords, he was loved and loathed in equal measures. Kamal Jumblatt The Jumbalatts have been on the forefront of Lebanese political life since the mid-19th century. Hailing originally from the Druze Mountain in Syria, they emigrated to Lebanon in the 17th century and settled in Mukhtara in the Chouf, where they established themselves as one of the two leading Druze families in Lebanon -- the other being the Arslans. Kamal Jumblatt founded the Progressive Socialist Party in 1949, which developed into various other forms, resulting in the Lebanese Progressive Movement. In the years before 1975, he became particularly popular as he advocated the deconfessionalisation of Lebanon, thus attracting wider sectors -- including Sunni, Shia and even some Christian groups -- than his traditional Druze constituency. With the outbreak of the war he joined forces with the Palestine Liberation Organisation led by Yasser Arafat, and by 1976 the two groups, along with other smaller Lebanese forces, had taken over two thirds of the country. One year later, Jumblatt was assassinated . Having been warned by a friend to flee Lebanon shortly before his assassination, Kamal Jumblatt was reported to have said "The Jumblatts are usually killed, they don't die in their beds." Kamal's father, Fouad Jumblatt, was killed by the Arslan rivaling Druze family in 1921 when Kamal was four years old. Hassan Nasrallah As leader of Hezbollah, the single tightest and largest political movement in Lebanon today, Hassan Nasrallah's popularity among most of Lebanon's Shias is practically unshakable. Until recently, most Lebanese respected him almost instinctively by sheer virtue of being the leader of the movement described as that which freed South Lebanon, but now that he has opposed attempts to force an immediate Syrian pullout, many non-Shias have withdrawn their support, which was, at any rate, mostly emotive. He is best known for focusing his rhetoric on Lebanese unity, and for attaining full integration of Hezbollah into mainstream politics. Hezbollah was founded by Abbas Mousawi, who was assassinated by the Israelis in 1992, and takes its main inspiration from Musa Al-Sadr, who set up the first Lebanese Shia-based movement -- the Movement of the Deprived.
