Title details Help Title The rise, fall, disbandment and dispersal of the South Lebanese army: narratives of ideology and patron-clientage / by Ria Merrill Riesner Thesis Name(s) Riesner, Ria Merrill (Main Author) American University of Beirut. Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (Related name) Publication 2009 Link(s) Click for full-text Physical Details ix, 95 leaves; 30 cm. Subjects Lebanon, South--Politics and government Lebanon--Army Patron and client--Lebanon--South Israel--Military relations--Lebanon Lebanon--Military relations--Israel Lebanon--Militias--Social aspects Classmarks T:005295 Notes Dissertation: Thesis (M.A.)--American University of Beirut, Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies, 2009. Dissertation: Advisor : Dr. Ahmad Moussalli, Professor , Political Studies and Public Administration Member of Committee : Dr. Hilal Khashan, Professor, Political Studies and Public Administration Member of Committee : Dr. John Voll, Professor ,Georgetown University ,History Member of Committee : Mr. Timur Goksel, Lecturer , Political Studies and Public Administration. General: Appendices : leaves 83-87. Bib. & Index: Bibliography : leaves 88-95. Abstract In this thesis I analyze the contents of 30 interviews with ex South Lebanese Army militiamen and argue that the higher an SLA soldier or officer's described rank, the closer their narrative corresponds to ideological movement discourse, and the lower their described rank, the more they explain their involvement as aligned with standard narratives of patron-clientage. These notions are tested against Benford and Snow and Rosefsky-Wickham's conceptions of ideological movements and Eisenstadt's criteria for a patron-client relationship. The South Lebanese Army, a militia originally headed by former Lebanese Army Captain Saad Haddad, was a group of at one point 5,000 members who served as the proxy army of the Israeli Defense Force during the Israeli occupation of Lebanon. When the IDF withdrew from the southern security strip in May of 2000, thousands of SLA fled to Israel and other countries, fearing revenge attacks against them. Nearly all who stayed behind stood for trial at the Lebanese Military Tribunal and almost all served prison sentences for collaboration with an enemy state. This thesis seeks to examine the history of the South Lebanese Army under Saad Haddad and Antoine Lahad and consider the rise, fall, disbandment and dispersal of the organization. Specifically, this thesis seeks to first present a review of historical texts to create a complex rendering of the history of this organization, and then to analyze the narratives against accepted models of ideological movements and patron clientage and to illustrate a division within these narratives. This study anticipates and finds that there is an identifiable link between higher described rank and ideological affiliation and lower described rank and patron-client alliance. Specifically, former SLA who stayed in Lebanon post-withdrawal describe their reasons for joining through elaborating the material needs and protection they gained as a result of being allied with Israel, while former SLA, primarily officers, interviewed in Israel stressed more abstract benefits, or subscription to a moral or ethical code, e.g. "fighting against terrorism, protecting our villages" narrative. Further, "officers" took a line of emphasizing how closely they worked with the IDF, while "rank and file" tended to place emphasis on the insignificance of their personal exchanges with Israelis. Other characteristics divide these two groups, summarized in the conclusion. Availability Barcode Location Shelf Shelfmark Status Category   Jafet Archives and Special Collections Thesis T:5295:c.1 ASC-Binding Building Use

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