The Paradox of Trust in the Military in MENA

In this episode of MEnbar, host Marc Owen Jones is joined by Yasmina Abouzzohour, a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs and a fellow and lecturer in politics at Princeton University. They discuss her co-authored issue brief, “The Paradox of Trust in the Military in the Middle East and North Africa” where Abouzzohour examines the surprisingly high trust in military institutions across the MENA, even in nations with histories of coups and repression. She analyzes key factors driving this trust, from personal safety to ideological and economic considerations, and compares military-led and civilian-led governance structures. The conversation also goes into governance fatigue, the role of economic encroachment in military trust, and how these dynamics impact efforts to strengthen civilian institutions in MENA. The episode closes with insights into future challenges like economic crises and climate change and the evolving trust landscape in military and political institutions.