In Chapter 3, I specify the status of armies under authoritarian regimes beyond their proximity to regimes. I want to offer a better understanding of what is distinctive about the armed forces in Arab authoritarian regimes. First, in most cases, armies have been huge bureaucratic actors seated in the state, living in and often above the state. Second and contra, in most cases, armies have kept some relations with their respective societies at least through the institution of (more-or-less filtered) conscription, also an important source of legitimacy. Third, armies have been budget-hungry actors, whose expenses have often been covered with access to foreign military aid. And fourth, in some cases and with different overtones from Egypt to Syria, armies have become powerful economic actors in the (civilian) economy.

Relationships are not only an expression of sociability and the pleasure of being together. They also have a "utility" dimension: under certain conditions, they are a means of accessing resources. People who are in a relationship provide each other with many services, but these services alone are not enough to qualify relationships. This chapter examines the way in which relationships and networks can become resources, particularly economic resources, but also form the basis of daily mutual aid and influence. The best known case is that of the labor market, but the "economic" use of relationships goes far beyond that. Mutual aid and social support, but also influence within the personal network are other forms of relational resources.