The relationship between the Lebanese and Syrian republics has never been normal since their independence from the French colonial mandate. Since then, they have been moving in two directions at the economic, political and social levels because of their different class structure and positions of power in each of them. The structure of the Syrian-Lebanese domain was modified, and trade links between them were weakened. Their trade in goods and services decreased, while the pace of labor and capital transfers increased. In addition, Syria has exercised direct political and military domination over Lebanon for thirty years.

But today, nearly one and a half million Syrians have fled to Lebanon, and the Syrian landscape has been torn apart internally and has become an arena of international conflict: both societies incurred deep distortions in their internal balances. Thus, both the reconstruction of Syria and the bankruptcy in Lebanon call for the need to manage their social and economic distortions in an integrated manner, and to enhance the importance of their markets integrally and abroad. This can only be based on the establishment of an effective, civil and capable state in Lebanon that would support a similar, integrated project in Syria.