Civil wars hijacked: a case study of the Lebanese Civil War
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Authors
Greenheck, Kyle L.
Subjects
Lebanon
Syria
Iran
Israel
non-state actor
surrogate warfare
proxy warfare
longitudinal social network analysis
civil war
Syria
Iran
Israel
non-state actor
surrogate warfare
proxy warfare
longitudinal social network analysis
civil war
Advisors
Everton, Sean
Lee Doowan
Date of Issue
2016-06
Date
16-Jun
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The United States continues to be drawn into complex conflict environments where multiple internal and external state and non-state actors (NSAs) compete for influence. This thesis seeks to address how an external state actor can establish influence in a civil war environment through effective support of non-state actors. The research question is addressed through an in-depth analysis of the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990, using both qualitative and social network analysis to assess the strategies of three state actors in that conflict: Israel, Syria, and Iran. This study suggests that external state actors can increase influence in a civil war environment through a variety of strategies. However, the most dominant state actors are typically those that pursue a limited objective through a combination of direct and indirect support to a heterogeneous coalition of non-state actors employing a combination of violent and non-violent techniques. The lessons obtained from this analysis may provide valuable insights to planners tasked with the development of influence within a civil war through external support to NSAs.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Defense Analysis (DA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
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Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.