Abstract
The role of armies as principal employers and the allure of a career in the military have been largely understudied, especially in the Arab world. This chapter examines the social, demographic and economic basis for the recruitment of Lebanese Armed Forced (LAF) personnel in rural North Lebanon. It finds that youth seek an army career mainly for the social security provided, and thereby the prospects for social mobility. The many benefits of recruitment – social, educational, economic – are reasons why bribes (wasta) are offered to political patrons to help candidates circumvent sectarian quotas. However, army careers are attractive only to deeply impoverished households that are dependent on the unprofitable agrarian economy. Lack of employment alternatives drives young Muslims towards military careers, challenging selection criteria and confessional quotas.
I can’t wait to be 18; I can’t wait till the time when I’ll be able to join the army.
Ali, 16-year-old from Akkar
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Notes
- 1.
Figures adopted from Barak (2006, p. 80).
- 2.
This was echoed by some study participants in Akkar: ‘Militias were integrated in the army (Lebanese Forces and Aoun supporters) and managed by Emile Lahoud. Despite the Lebanese Forces splitting from the army and fighting against it, the military institution remained the most desired by the Lebanese people’. Interview in Qoubayat, 3 March 2014.
- 3.
For a detailed description of power relations between peasants and landlords and how they have shaped society in Akkar, see Gilsenan (1996).
- 4.
- 5.
Muslim family, interview, Chadra, 9 March 2014.
- 6.
Gilsenan (1996, pp. 41–42) describes the strategies for status reproduction of elites in Akkar and Lebanon, who inter-married, but also had to ensure their children took up professions of higher status.
- 7.
The slogan was used to refer and advocate for the army as the only force that could solve the Lebanese predicaments during the civil war and in the post-civil war era.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Ms. Samara Youssef and Mr Ahmad Jahjah, who were members of the research team and who led the fieldwork in Akkar.
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Yassin, N., El Solh, M. (2017). Allure of the Army? Recruiting Rural Youth in the Lebanese Armed Forces. In: Knudsen, A., Gade, T. (eds) Civil-Military Relations in Lebanon. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55167-8_3
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