Walid Jumblatt

Walid Kamal Jumblatt (Arabic: وليد كمال جنبلاط, romanized: Walīd Kamāl Junblāṭ; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who served as the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) from 1977 until 2023. A hereditary leader of the Lebanese Druze and a prominent former warlord, Jumblatt led his party's militia, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), during the Lebanese Civil War. Under his leadership, the PSP consolidated an autonomous Druze administration in the Chouf and Aley regions following victories in the 1983 Mountain War. Throughout his career, Jumblatt became known for his pragmatic and shifting political alliances. After collaborating closely with Syria during the Civil War and the years immediately following, he became a key architect of the anti-Syrian Cedar Revolution in 2005, that resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. He later adopted a centrist position before taking a staunch anti-Assad stance during the Syrian Civil War. He stepped down from the PSP leadership in 2023, passing the position to his son, Taymur Jumblatt.