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Rethinking military behavior during the Arab Spring

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  • Michael Makara

Abstract

Why did some Arab militaries remain loyal to authoritarian rulers amid mass uprisings during the Arab Spring while others defected to the opposition? One popular explanation shows this variation with reference to the degree of military institutionalization: institutionalized militaries defected, while patrimonial militaries remained loyal. This article argues that the institutionalization hypothesis does not provide a complete account of the mechanisms through which the degree of military institutionalization leads to either defection or continued loyalty. This shortcoming stems from the fact that scholars have treated military institutionalization as a catch-all concept for three distinct variables: ethnic stacking of the military, patronage distribution, and organizational factionalization. Examining the interaction between these variables highlights the mechanisms through which military defection occurs, and therefore that disaggregating institutionalization into its component parts provides a more complete explanation of military behavior during the Arab Spring.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Makara, 2016. "Rethinking military behavior during the Arab Spring," Defense & Security Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 209-223, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cdanxx:v:32:y:2016:i:3:p:209-223
    DOI: 10.1080/14751798.2016.1199121
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Lorenzo Johnson & Ches Thurber, 2020. "The Security-Force Ethnicity (SFE) Project: Introducing a new dataset," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 37(1), pages 106-129, January.

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