Breaking Conventions: The Lebanese Civil War

Abstract

Over the years, political scientists have largely come to accept four assumptions about civil wars. These assumptions are useful when applied to civil war as a concept. Unfortunately, they are invalid when applied to idiosyncratic cases like the Lebanese Civil War, and one must therefore exercise caution before generalizing from them. This essay discusses why the Lebanese Civil War defied political scientists’ usual assumptions about civil conflict. It suggests that countries sharing Lebanon’s idiosyncrasies will also resist the four assumptions. Finally, it uses survey data to undercut a view commonly held by the media and public—that different ethnic groups do not socialize with one another during times of conflict.