The paradox of power-sharing: stability and fragility in postwar Lebanon

Authors

Amanda RizkallahFollow

Department(s)

International Studies and Languages

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Keywords

Civil War, Postwar violence, Mobilization, Sectarian parties, Power-sharing, Networks

Abstract

This article examines the consequences of civil war and power-sharing settlements for the development of sectarian networks of mobilization. While power-sharing presents a viable mechanism for ending civil war, it allows the participating militias-turned-parties access to state resources and leaves their population networks and organizations intact. This continuity reduces the militias-turned-parties’ start-up costs for violent mobilization in the future, enabling them to mobilize more effectively than new parties with no combat experience. I exploit rich variation in the wartime legacies and settlement status of the major postwar parties in Lebanon to explain whether and how parties mobilized during the clashes of May 2008, the most serious internal violence to plague Lebanon since the end of its civil war in 1990.

Publication Title

Ethnic and Racial Studies

Volume

40

Issue

12

First Page

2058

Last Page

2076

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2017.1277031

Comments

Publication can be accessed at this link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2017.1277031

Recommended Citation

Rizkallah, A. (2017). The paradox of power-sharing: stability and fragility in postwar Lebanon. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40(12), 2058–2076. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2017.1277031