“An-Nahar Arab & International”
28 January – 3 February 1980

Why do the Revolutions fail in Lebanon?

"The Army and the State in Lebanon",
a PhD Thesis Submitted by Adel A. FRAYHA in Political Sciences,
Presented by the Rector of the Nancy University, François BORELLA,
and published by the Public
Library of Law and Jurisprudence in Paris.

Why does the Army “rebels” in the underdeveloped countries seeking for reign and power, and any army’s interior role disappears in the industrial countries? How can we determine the relationship between the military institution and the civil authority from the side of the army’s role, in defending the legitimate state institutions or staging a coup d’Etat in the name of legitimacy? Lebanon, the homeland, the army and the state, suffered since the events of 1958 from the politicization of the army and its interference in the interior affairs until the Lebanese regime was classified as “militarist”. He also suffered from the incompetence of the adequate political decision that renders the army the “homeland’s Fence”. The army failed in its turn to save the country that is undergoing the blackest moments of its predicament.

If Lebanon, army and regime, did not enter in the circle of military rebellions – as is the case in the Third World – even through he witnessed some of the failed attempts to change the regime or to take over the reign, he passed by a stage of disintegration into small states and legitimacies. Yet, the Army has disintegrated it self, becoming armies. When there weren’t any state without army, so no state without power. But: Which state to which army? And which legitimacy to which power?

Dr. Adel Frayha (PhD in Political Sciences) replied to these question in a book, to be published soon in Paris by the “Public Library for Law and Jurisprudence” for the title of: “The Army and the State in Lebanon (1945-1980)”. “The newspaper “An-Nahar Arab & International” interviewed him about this subject.

The Militarism and the Reign

Q. How do you link between the Army and the State in Lebanon?

R. The subjet of the relationship between the army and the state is exposed in the Thrid World’s Countries (Africa, Latin, America, Asia and the Arab World) for the excessiveness of military rebellions. That pushed me to search for this relationship in the Lebanese case especially that Lebanon derives from this world from some sides. We must underline here that the Army in Lebanon did not reach power through the military coups attempts that was characterized by the non-seriousness. Here are some examples: the rebellion attempt of the two officers Fouad Awad and Chawki Khairalla (1961-1962) with the participation of the Syrian National Party of the “televised” pseudo-coup made by the Brigadier General Aziz Al Ahdab on 11/03/1976.

Q. Why the attempts do not succeed?

R. Militarily, we can say that the attempts were not serious nor studied enough because they lack to the organization element and the necessary cooperation to make them succeed. For instance, the officer Fouad Awad made his rebellion with Lieutenant Ali Hajj Hassan without any previous Knowledge between them. As well as the attempt of these rebels to occupy the Lebanese Radio Station that moved from the Governmental House in the evening of the attempt to its new location in Sanayeh without knowing of this new move.

 Beside and inside the Syrian National Party that planned for rebellion, there were elements working for the second section intelligence system in the Army, as the chauffeur of the Party’s President Abdallah Saadé. The Brigadier General Al-Ahdab made a military pseudo-coup far from any effective military support for his one.

Confessional Repartition

Politically, there are many factors that lead to the defeat of these rebellious attempts such as the confessional system i.e. the confessional positions repartition, inside and outside the army. This prevents any cooperation between officers belonging to different confessions.

Q. How do you consider the future relation between the army and the state in Lebanon at the light of the constructive operation of the new Lebanese army?

R. I don’t see that the Lebanese army will one day reach to succeed a military rebellion that will lead some officers to lead the country. The psychological readinees lacks between the officers. The existing spirit inside the army ranks is not also a rebellious spirit, but is to always work for defending the state legitimacy, setting its pillars and defending the Lebanese people’s unity, far from the sectarian fanaticism spirit. The military institutions remains in Lebanon the national school. Here I would like to mention that the reach of a military, General Fouad Chéhab to the Presidency was made by the correct constitutional and parliamentary ways.