Militarisation Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
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Keep Them Isolated, Keep Them Down! Patterns of (Non-)Militarisation among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Katharina Elisabeth Vogt Master’s Thesis in Peace and Conflict Studies Department of Political Science UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Autumn 2019 Word Count: 34 956 Keep Them Isolated, Keep Them Down! Patterns of (Non-)Militarisation among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon I © Katharina Elisabeth Vogt 2019 Keep Them Isolated, Keep Them Down! Patterns of (Non-)Militarisation among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Katharina Elisabeth Vogt http://www.duo.uio.no/ Print: Reprosentralen, University of Oslo Word Count: 34 956 III ABSTRACT Camp-based refugee populations are regularly connected to the phenomenon of refugee militarisation under certain circumstances. Rather surprisingly, Lebanon has not generally been subject to refugee militarisation among Syrians residing in informal tented settlements (ITSs). An exception to this national pattern is found in the area of the border town Arsal. There, some ITSs have been militarised by extremist groups. Following this deviance, the research question is: “Which factors determine militarisation – or a lack thereof – among camp-based Syrian refugees in Lebanon?” I pursue two goals: First, I aim at understanding the case of camp-based Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which I treat as a deviant case, with the help of an implicit within-case comparison with Arsal. Second, I want to bring nuance to the existing body of literature, by examining the dynamics that distinguish militarisation from non-militarisation and formulating new hypotheses that can inform further research on various categories of militarisation. The basis for this study is an eclectic theoretical framework which consists of six groups of militarisation risk factors: origin of the refugee situation, host state response, socioeconomic situation, humanitarian aid, political rights and camp characteristics. The research data was collected through semi-structured interviews with humanitarian workers involved in the refugee response in Lebanon during three weeks of fieldwork. This evidence was combined with a review of documents and other literature. My findings show that five dynamics between the selected risk factors, three multi-causal and two mono-causal, determined the outcome of largely non-militarisation on the national level. Accordingly, the pattern of (non-)militarisation among the studied refugee population is most importantly determined by a low initial militarisation potential and the special role of refugee camp leaders, as well as by keeping the refugee settlements isolated from each other and keeping their political activism and socioeconomic means down. Based on my findings, I generated seven hypotheses for further research. V VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I want to thank my two supervisors, Kristian Berg Harpviken and Øivind Bratberg who provided me with highly valuable and constructive comments throughout this exciting and at times challenging process. Thank you, for always being supportive and encouraging, and for being available until the end. Next, I am grateful to all my respondents for their insights and time. Without you, this thesis could not exist. Furthermore, I thank Fritt Ord Foundation and DAAD for financial support, facilitating the fieldwork in Lebanon and my master studies in Norway. Big thanks to my fellow PECOS-classmates for being the best company possible. I cannot imagine having lunch break without quizzes anymore. Special thanks to the PECOS- Kosegruppe, you are amazing; and to Stein Arne, Sofia, Fride, Abby, Tanja and Ingeborg for reading through this thesis, providing valuable feedback and comments. I also thank my family for always believing in and never pressuring me. Thank you for being available whenever I need you. Finally, thank you Lukas, for your endless patience, feedback, support, and love. You always made me smile again when I felt like giving up. I cannot describe my gratitude. All remaining mistakes and inaccuracies are my own. VII VIII CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................. V Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ VII Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................XI 1 Introduction: Refugees - Victims, Perpetrators or Both? .............................................. 1 1.1 Research Question and Delimitation ............................................................................. 3 1.2 Positioning in the Field ................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Key Concepts ................................................................................................................ 6 1.4 Thesis Outline ............................................................................................................... 8 2 Why Do Refugees Militarise? ............................................................................................ 9 2.1 Refugee Militarisation Literature .................................................................................. 9 2.2 Selected Risk Factors .................................................................................................. 10 2.2.1 Origin of the Refugee Situation ........................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Host State Response ............................................................................................. 12 2.2.3 Socioeconomic Situation ...................................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Humanitarian Aid ................................................................................................. 17 2.2.5 Political Rights ..................................................................................................... 18 2.2.6 Camp Characteristics ........................................................................................... 20 2.3 Bringing It Together .................................................................................................... 21 3 Methods: How to Study Militarisation Dynamics ......................................................... 23 3.1 The Case Study Approach ........................................................................................... 23 3.2 Internal and External Validity ..................................................................................... 24 3.3 Reliability .................................................................................................................... 26 3.4 Research Data.............................................................................................................. 27 3.4.1 Semi-Structured Interviews .................................................................................. 28 3.4.2 Document and Literature Review ........................................................................ 30 3.4.3 Additional Fieldwork Material ............................................................................. 31 3.5 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................ 32 4 Lebanon, Refugees and the Syrian Civil War ............................................................... 35 4.1 Militarised Palestinian Refugees ................................................................................. 35 4.2 The Syrian-Lebanese Relationship ............................................................................. 37 4.3 Syrian War Impacts ..................................................................................................... 38 4.3.1 Social, Economic and Political Effects ................................................................ 38 4.3.2 Syrian Refugee Presence ...................................................................................... 40 4.3.3 War Spill-Overs and Militarisation among Syrian Refugees ............................... 41 5 Analysis of the Militarisation Risk ................................................................................. 47 5.1 Situational and Persecuted Refugees .......................................................................... 47 5.2 Ambiguous Host State Response ................................................................................ 48 5.2.1 Lebanon, a Weak State ......................................................................................... 48 5.2.2 Uncertain Willingness .......................................................................................... 51 5.3 Poverty among Refugees and the Host Population ..................................................... 53 5.3.1 Severe Poverty in ITSs ......................................................................................... 54 5.3.2 A Relatively Deprived Host Population ............................................................... 56 5.3.3 Mixed Impact of Pre-Flight Social Ties ............................................................... 58 5.4 Humanitarian Aid: “Probably Good Enough” ............................................................ 59 5.5 Political vs Humanitarian Activism ............................................................................ 61 5.6 Scattered Non-Camps.................................................................................................