Lebanon - Civil War, Sectarianism, Conflict: The attempt to establish a centralized state bureaucracy, begun by Chehab and continued by Hélou, came to an end with the election of Suleiman Franjieh to the presidency in August 1970. Franjieh, a traditional Maronite clan leader from the Zghartā region of northern Lebanon, sought to weaken the state security apparatus built by Chehab and Hélou, which was viewed with suspicion and resentment by many for both its corruption and its impact on Lebanon’s traditional patronage networks. However, in so doing, he proved unable to shield the state from the conflicting forces lining up against it. The dramatic increase in