REPRESENTATION AND STABILITY IN POSTWAR LEBANON

The two decades that elapsed since the end of the civil war in Lebanon (1975-90) were not always stable but did not witness a return to conflict. This article suggests that a significant factor that can help account for this outcome is the reforms introduced in Lebanon's security sector, and especially in the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), which made the LAF more representative and hence more legitimate in the eyes of members of Lebanon's various societal sectors. This case suggest that in divided societies in the aftermath of conflict, stability can be attained by enhancing the representativeness of the security sector, in addition to similar reforms in the political system.