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In a pioneering article of 1980, Stanislav Andreski maintained that sociology can contribute to the study of international relations by showing how military situations are explained by some aspects of society. He added that the more intensively armed forces are involved in war, the less they become tools of internal repression. Since then, however, sociology has devoted little attention to the connection between two phenomena that bear enormous political significance. This article explores a type of praetorian thrust that is inversely linked not to civilianism but to militarism. The theoretical scheme presented in this paper, of a unique type of praetorian tendency, is based mainly on a comparison between the case of contemporary Israel and historical France, but also utilizing other historical cases, in order to answer the question, is a military coup possible in Israel? The common denominator of the two cases, French Algeria and Israel, which lends this article its sociological importance, is that under certain circumstances, armed forces may develop an actual or potential praetorian orientation even though the country in question is not backward and has a democratic regime.

This paper describes fieldwork experiences in Algeria following the revolution of the 1960s. It is generally known that political context affects both the methodology and findings of research. Although it is assumed that the political scene and the economic circumstances profoundly affect fieldwork, we have few descriptions of how this occurs. We need more reports of the way sponsorship determines access to the setting, permission to study there and the researcher's relationship with in formants. Sociologists are influenced as much by their own ethnic and political identification as they are by sponsorship. How do these factors interact? This reflection on fieldwork in Algeria offers a case study of the various factors influencing access to informants. It contrasts two approaches-the overt and covert presentation of self as a sociologist. I present this note as a contribution towards a sociology of fieldwork conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]