The impact of subnational identities on national security: a comparative analysis of Jordan and Lebanon

This dissertation investigates the impact of subnational identities (SNIs) on national security in the Middle East, with a comparative focus on Jordan and Lebanon in the aftermath of the Arab Uprisings. It explores how SNIs—defined as ethnic, sectarian, tribal, or regional affiliations that exist below the level of the nation-state—interact with state institutions, political structures, and social dynamics to influence national security outcomes. The study advances the argument that in fragile or hybrid regimes, subnational identities are not peripheral forces but central actors that both reflect and shape the legitimacy, stability, and cohesion of the state. Drawing on a constructivist framework and employing qualitative comparative analysis, the research deconstructs the evolving relationship between identity-based mobilization and state responses in both case studies. Jordan and Lebanon serve as illustrative cases due to their divergent political systems, identity configurations, and post-2011 trajectories. Through a multi-dimensional model incorporating historical, institutional, and sociopolitical variables, the study reveals how identity-based grievances, perceptions of exclusion, and contestations over power and representation become securitized and politicized in different ways, often resulting in fragmented authority, weakened state legitimacy, and new modes of governance. In Jordan, the interplay between tribal affiliations and national narratives is examined against the backdrop of a centralized monarchy and institutionalized loyalty mechanisms. In contrast, Lebanon's confessional power-sharing system highlights how entrenched sectarian identities can both stabilize and destabilize the state, producing parallel authority structures and enabling external interference. The comparative lens reveals shared patterns of identity-politics-driven instability, as well as distinct trajectories shaped by institutional design, elite strategies, and regional dynamics. Ultimately, the dissertation offers a nuanced theoretical and empirical contribution to the study of national security in deeply divided societies. It argues for a reconceptualization of security frameworks in the Middle East to include the role of internal societal actors, identity-based cleavages, and the multidirectional relationship between state and society. The findings provide both scholarly insights and policy-relevant implications for understanding and addressing the security challenges arising from identity pluralism in the contemporary Arab world.