In the last decade, many aspects of globalization have captured worldwide attention. But for more than a century, the driving force behind globalization has been the expansion of trade in goods and services . Trade liberalization is of major concern for developing countries following protectionist policies, since they are more vulnerable to total openness. The rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which was established in 1995, are based on the principles of free trade. These rules promote trade liberalization policies; this is why acceding to this international organization is of great ...

These five open access factsheets were created following a unique ‘base-superstructure’ dialectical approach. They are useful when working with participants both in training settings, as well as in self-taught learning programs. The goal is to establish the political economy of both sectarianism and coexistence as the foundation for studying Lebanon through following a systematically rigorous approach and analyzing social phenomena and practices. These factsheets are open educational resources (OER) and are intended for awareness raising and as a foundation for further study. Therefore the ...