Subjects:  1. 1990-    2. History    3. Islam    4. Islam - History    5. Lebanon    6. National liberation movements    7. Political    8. Political Doctrines    9. Political parties    10. Politics and government    11. Religion    12. Religion - World Religions    13. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Political Science / General    15. Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / Terrorism    16. Revolutions & coups   

Reviews (2)

They're not "Small Wars" if you live there. . .
Merom's book, and Lusavardi's review essay which endorses it, share a subscription to an unhappy intellectual current: "the stab in the back" -- the idea that a worthwhile military effort is undermined by "intellectuals" back home, and that if we'd only been able to "take the gloves off" and be just a bit more brutal -as demanded by circumstances, of course-- then everything would have turned out OK.
Small Wars Lost At Home Not on Battlefield
How Democracy Loses Small Wars is perhaps one of the most-timely, but unrecognized books dealing with the so-called "quagmire" and war prisoner abuse situations the U.S. has encountered in Iraq in 2004. Gil Merom addresses how modern democracies lose small wars against weaker forces.Merom writes that small wars are lost mostly at home not on the battlefield when a highly media-visible minority of the educated upper middle class selectively views with moral revulsion the brutality and casualties necessary to win war. In response, government war leaders resort to repress the ugly realities of war by deceit, censure, and crackdowns, attracting even more media attention. Read more

Subjects:  1. France    2. History    3. International Relations - General    4. Israel    5. Low intensity conflicts (Milit    6. Low intensity conflicts (Military science)    7. Military    8. Military - General    9. Military Science    10. Military doctrine    11. Politics / Current Events    12. United States    13. International relations    14. Political Science / International Relations    15. Warfare & Defence    16. World history: postwar, from c 1945 -   

Reviews (32)

Must-Read
Chock-full of information and rare insights that is rarely seen.I must say he is quite exhaustive in his dealings of each side of the various conflicts he discusses and lays everything out on the table so that you see the best and worst of all worlds. I am ordering his new book as we speak.

Days in life of a journalist in Lebanon
This book an account of the author's experience as a reporter in Lebanon during the Civil War. It is essentially journalism, in the sense that it covers the day to day experience of the author. As the author says in the beginning, it is not a history (even though you can follow historical events pretty closely through Fisk's eyes), it is more an account of the daily life of ordinary citizens. For example, there are no statistics, not much on politics and no economic consideration. I personally suspect that studying the economics could help understand the conflict. The good thing is that Fisk has been to a lot of places. He keeps running around the Muslim parts of Lebanon and speaking with everyone: Israelis, Syrians, Palestinians, Muslims, Christians, Druzes, Americans, French, Italians.... He always seems to be near to where the bombs fall, which makes it possible for the reader to learn about the many different ways of being discombobulated or burnt alive (phosphorus or normal burns ?). That can be a little depressing. There are some very interesting comments on the role of journalism and the importance of words, in particular the issue of whether to call someone a terrorist or a freedom fighter, as there is no official definition of terrorism. I also liked the almost poetic way of describing how all foreign armies lose their way in the mystery that is Lebanon.
A personal account, not a history

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Subjects:  1. Civil War, 1975-1990    2. General    3. History    4. History: World    5. Lebanon    6. Middle East - General    7. Politics / Current Events   

Reviews (3)

One man's terrorist......
With 'Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism' Judith Palmer Harik has achieved a comprehensive and highly detailed history of the militant group. Her stated goal is to determine whether Hezbollah is a legitimate fighting force, as many in the Arab world believe, or simply a terrorist organization. While it is clear that the author leans toward the former, she does, to her credit, give an ample amount of attention to the view held by Israelis and Americans. So while her conclusions are certainly debatable, she essentially sticks to the facts. She thoroughly discusses Hezbollah's origins as a direct offshoot of the Iranian Revolution, for the purpose of combatting Israel. She discusses at length, their political objectives, their religious beliefs, and their transformation from radical militia, to mainstream political party. She also effectively puts the movement into the context of the general Mid-East conflict. My only criticism of the book, aside from the author's bias, is that it is severely academic in tone. The average lay reader might find it a bit too tedious. That being said, I would still recommend 'Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism' as a solid introduction to the the subject.

Makes you think!
Dr. Harik provides an in depth analysis of the struggle between Hezbollah and the Israelis as well as the roles of the U.S., Syria and Iran. I learned more in the first few pages than in hours of mainstream media. HIGHLY recommend it!

The Transformation of Hizbullah
Judith Palmer Harik has written an entirely descriptive book on Hizbullah.I read her book extremely carefully and searched for a glimpse of originality, but to no avail. Even when she talks about Hizbullah's transformation from a fundamentalist military orgainization into a mainstream political movement--to fit the requirements of political activity in the Lebanese domestic context--she fails to recognize the dynamics of this lively process of transformation. Harik's books in rich in information, but alas it is mostly unprocessed and unintegrated.
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Subjects:  1. 1975-1990    2. History    3. History: World    4. Hizballah (Lebanon)    5. International Relations - General    6. Islam - General    7. Lebanon    8. Middle East - General    9. Middle East - History    10. Political Discontent And Violence    11. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    12. Political parties    13. Politics and government    14. Religion - World Religions    15. Islamic studies    16. Political activism    17. c 1980 to c 1990    18. c 1990 to c 2000   

Editorial Review

First published in 1983, Read more

Reviews (55)

Needs an update
This is an updated and expanded version of Chomsky's `Fateful Triangle,' originally published in 1983 after Israel's invasion into Lebanon. The updated section (Washington's `Peace Process') is perhaps the most concise, yet revealing attempt to explicate the inner-workings of the negotiations between the PLO, Israel, and the U.S. during the nineties and leading up to the collapse of the process the birth of the second intifada in 2000. In it, Chomsky demonstrates quite conclusively, that there is an international solution to the conflict between the PLO and Israel, and that it resides quite straightforwardly in the domain of international law, namely U.N. resolution 242. Contrary to popular interpretation, Israel has been steadfast in its rejection of the principles of resolution 242, and that the PLO has wavered over the years between rejecting and accepting the policy. There was a window of time in which Arafat and the PLO were willing to begin implementing 242 in the 70's, but unfortunately Israel rejected it at the time. The basic tenets of 242 were reintroduced in the Taba accords, which were offered by Israel and then accepted by the PLO, but Israel subsequently called off the settlement prior to the election. What remains is Israel's continued effort to impose a military Bantustan on the Palestinian people in an almost explicit attempt to drive the population out of the West bank and the Gaza strip and into the neighboring Arab states. The U.S. continues to provide blanket support for the occupation and illegal settlements.
U.S. Citizen and Jewish Man, Noam Chomsky, spews his rationalized hatred toward U.S. and Israel
Noam Chomsky has thrived greatly in this great country of his, yours, and mine - the United States of America.He has made millions of dollars teaching, lecturing, selling his books, and investing.His world-wide fame in psycholinguistics is well-deserved.His infamy is merited for his lack of loyalty to his own Jewish ethnicity and the U.S., in spite of the fruits he has received by being a citizen of the United States.He has repaid this country in bile with his incredibly biased analysis of American foreign policy.He goes way beyond a balanced multiculturism, when he always ranks the U.S. and Israel as foremost among the terrorist forces in the world now, and even in history.His distrust of any authority, benign or otherwise, is reflected in his dogmatic and unexamined support of the "underdog," even if that underdog is a suicide bomber or a major terrorist organization such as Al Queda or Hezbollah.
A man in the ivory tower
Shoher correctly wrote about Chomsky,
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Subjects:  1. 1993-    2. Arab-Israeli conflict    3. Foreign relations    4. History    5. International Relations - General    6. Israel    7. Lebanon    8. Middle East - General    9. Peace    10. Political Science    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. U.S. - Middle East Relations    14. United States    15. International relations    16. Palestine    17. Political Science / General    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Baltic States    2. Government - National    3. History    4. History: World    5. Politics - Current Events    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Lebanon    8. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    9. Political Science / Government / National   

Reviews (1)

surreal prose
Darwish is first and foremost an eloquent poet. He uses a very surreal language in this book as a way to define a chaotic time. The time cannot be defined though, and this is the reason for the ambiguous writing. Darwish uses several allusions to coffee, water, and soccer to keep his readers grounded and also to take their minds off of the bombings in Beirut. Ultimately the book is a meditation on death, and has several thought provoking sections. Darwish is an excellent writer, as evidenced in the array of scenes he paints in the book. You will laugh, become depressed, think very very deeply, and be completely enthralled with the text. If you like poetry, surreal atmosphere, or middle eastern literature, this book is a must. It is also a valuable first hand experience of the situation in Beirut in 1982. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beirut (Lebanon)    2. Darwåish, Maòhmåud    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Israeli intervention, 1982-198    6. Israeli intervention, 1982-1984    7. Lebanon    8. Middle East - Israel    9. Personal narratives, Palestini    10. Personal narratives, Palestinian    11. Poetry    12. Literary Criticism & Collections / General    13. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (7)

Highly Readable, Penetrating Look into Hezbollah's U.S. Presence
The leafy suburbs of Charlotte, N.C. seem an unlikely place for a Hezbollah base of operations.Yet it was there that a group of Shia Lebanese emigres gathered in a home to watch videos proclaiming "death to America."
Scare Tactics, Volume 2 million
While I respect the authors and the research which they did in order to complete this book, I feel that it is yet another "Scare Tactic" type book which not only perpetuates this sense of fear and of "demons lurking around every corner" that is so prevalent in America today, but it also demonizes Arabs, Muslims and Arab countries.
Sensationalist Schlock
Are there individuals in the U.S. who sympathize with and support Hizballah? Yes.
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Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. Hizballah (Lebanon)    3. Islam    4. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Religion, Politics & State    9. Religious aspects    10. Terrorism    11. United States    12. History / Military / General    13. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle    14. USA   

Reviews (6)

Excellent Book... I could not put it down!
There are few history books so compelling as to leave you wanting to read more and more.You simply can't get bored reading this book.I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.Mr. Holst has done a phenomenal job in writing as well as researching the Phoenicians.I have read other books about Phoenicians in the past and was never really impressed.This one has a special way of pulling everything together so that their accomplishments make sense.The Phoenicians were a mysterious people because they were so secretive, that's why every other book about them has failed to make sense of who they were and why history has failed to recognize their greatness.For those who know some history about the Phoenicians in terms of their inventions and contributions, this is the first book that sets some of those details aside and looks at them as a people instead - where their greatness really lay.It was quite inspirational to me on a personal level, and amazingly enough, affected my business sense.That's something I definitely didn't expect.I highly recommend this book!

propaganda
This book is propaganda and not history.It has an incredible bias in favor of its subject, namely the Phoenicians (as the ancestors of the Lebanese), and is therefore not objective.For example, in what amounts to a single page the author dismisses the majority of scholarly opinion which holds that the Phoenicians were practitioners of child sacrifice.Trained historians do not operate in this manner.

An "Epic" Treatise of the History of the Phoenicians!
Sanford Holst's book should be a "Must Read!" for all those who want to learn the science and art of how a social system (like a people) not only adapts but thrives in an environment of great political, military, cultural, religious, and economic turbulence that spanned a period of at least three to four thousand years. The latter demonstrates that in so doing the Phoenicians were not simply lucky but rather a driven, dedicated, determined and disciplined people.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History / Ancient / General    5. History / Civilization    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. Antiquities    9. Excavations (Archaeology)    10. Lebanon    11. Non-Classifiable    12. Phoenician antiquities    13. Phoenicians   

Subjects:  1. 1944-    2. 1990-    3. Assassination    4. Biography    5. History - General History    6. International Relations - General    7. Lebanon    8. Middle East - General    9. Murder - General    10. Political Science    11. Politics and government    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Prime ministers    14. True Crime / Espionage    15. òHaråiråi, Rafåiq Bahåa®,    16. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    17. Middle East    18. Political assassinations    19. True Crime / Murder   

Subjects:  1. Foreign Relations    2. History: World    3. International Relations - General    4. Middle East - General    5. Political History    6. Political Science    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Egypt    9. International relations    10. Lebanon    11. Political Science / International Relations    12. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. French occupation, 1918-1946    3. History    4. Lebanon    5. Middle East - History - 20th Century    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Syria   

Reviews (4)

A House Divided
Mackey's book is an interesting read, she uses a different style than most other authors in the genre.She spends some time discribing how mountains look when pulling into port and the like. It gives the book a different tempo, which could be good or bad depending upon your personal tastes.
Portrait of a nation in a Civil War.
If you lived through the seventies and eighties, one thing which was constant was the Lebanese Civil War.In this war, endless fractions paired off against each other destroying a country so throughly that it now only coming out of this dark period.There was the war between the Shiites and Sunnis, the war between the Druze and other faiths, the inter Christian clan war.
Excellent book with historical depth
A masterpiece that descruibes the historical context and the motivations of the different groups that participated in the Lebanese civil war. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Lebanon, its 15year civil war, and some of the background behind the conflict in the Middle East. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. International Relations - General    5. Middle East - General    6. Middle East - History    7. Modern - 21st Century    8. Religion, Politics & State    9. History / Middle East    10. Middle East    11. Miscellaneous Items    12. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Editorial Review

"I have been building a pyramid since I became aware I was here ... in 1947, when I was five," writes the author of this luminous memoir. Each "stone" in this pyramid represents a key moment in Anwar Accawi's life, recounted in chapters of polished prose that bring vividly to the reader's eye his tiny natal village in southern Lebanon: Magdaluna, "the Tower of the Moon." The death of a beloved baby chick, killed by a snake; the moment when 5-year-old Anwar discovered the written word; the day each fall when the olive-oil press begins operation for the harvest season. From these intimate, palpable episodes the author re-creates a vanished world in which time was measured by the position of the sun and the calendar "was framed by acts of God ... people were born so many years before or after an earthquake or flood." The advent of the telephone and automobile ("magic carpet of the twentieth century") link Magdaluna to the outside world and gradually destroy its centuries-old tradition of self-sufficiency; the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90) completes the village's "slow and agonizing death." Yet Magdaluna remains alive in Accawi's loving portrait, a gentle recollection of childhood that doubles as a poignant reminder of modernity's sometimes devastating impact. Read more

Reviews (4)

One of my favorite books
This book grabs you from the first page and takes you on a journey that sticks with you long after you have reading this incredible book.
A mesmorizing and magical account of a boy's childhood
I cannot think of another book I've read with greater passion.Anwar Accawi possesses the ability to draw the reader into the mind of a five year old boy, and into the creative way its thinking process helps him understand the world around him.At the crossroads of change in the 1940s , the Mount Lebanon village of Majdalouna has very colorful and unique characters living at the fringe of what (then) modern life had to offer.The five year old Anwar untethers his mind to describe the village, villagers and their changing way of life. Terrific new writer
I read the Anwar Accawi essay "The Telephone" in the best American essays for 1998 edited by Cynthia Ozick.His writing is terrific.We need more new writers of his talent and the essay and information aboutother cultures will come alive again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Accawi, Anwar F    2. Accawi, Anwar F.    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Childhood and youth    8. General    9. General Biographical Works    10. Historical - General    11. Lebanon   

Subjects:  1. 1946-1975    2. General    3. History    4. History: World    5. Lebanon    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics and government    8. Reference    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    10. History / General    11. c 1945 to c 1960   

Reviews (14)

Junk history
This is another "scholarly" work from the "historian" who gave us the 1988 book "The Historicity of Biblical Israel," which expounds his theory that the ancient Jewish people really lived in Yemen, not Israel. Yes, you read that correctly: this fruit-loop actually believes that all the events described in the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament really happened in Yemen. Needless to say, his "history" of Lebanon is about as credible as his "history" of ancient Palestine. How could a serious scholar write a history of Lebanon (especially a POLITICAL history) and fail to mention the massacres of 1840-1860? Let me put the absurdity of that omission into perspective for American readers: To omit the 1840-1860 massacres from a history of Lebanon is like writing a history of America from 1840-1880 without mentioning the American Civil War! Basically, Salibi advances his own sectarian slant on history by sanctimoniously condemning all other historical scholarship as "sectarian" mythologies.
Detailed Exploration of Lebanon's History
It is an excellent book that provides a clarification of the misconceptions about Lebanon's historical conflicts.

The multi-faceted history of Lebanon.
This book isn't so much a history of Lebanon as about how the Maronites, the Druze, the Sunnites, and the Shi'ites hold different views of the history of Lebanon.It is difficult to understand one's history if there is little concensus about what is fact and what is myth.It is this latter aspect, fact versus myth, that Salibi explores.He attempts to outline the history of Lebanon as viewed by each of the major religious/political parties and detail what is supported by historical evidence and what is not.Overall, I feel that he has succeeded.Several points of particular interest include the fact that no group in Lebanon today has any strong claim to have descended from the ancient Phoenicians, and Salibi's discussion regarding the complications of Arabic nationalism versus Islamism is particularly enlightening.If I had any complaint about this book, it is that Salibi spends too much of the text on the Maronite and Druze communities, and not enough on the Shi'ite or Sunnite.This is a rather dense book packed with details and information, and I would not consider it a light read, but it is well worth the time invested. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History - General History    2. History: World    3. Middle East - General    4. History    5. History / General   

Reviews (150)

Insightful and timely
I've been staring at a copy of Thomas Friedman's 'From Beirut to Jerusalem' on my shelf for nearly a year now, meaning to read it but always drawn to something else.Finally, recent events demanded that I learn more and I finally pulled it down, dusted it off, and read it.I'm so glad I did, especially now.
Pertinent Then and Pertinent Now
Not in the "must read " class, but a good informative personal account of Thomas Freidman, the New York Times middle east journalist.The book contains his observances of the factional fighting that took place in Beirut and the larger Lebanon, Israel conflict in the 1980s.Thebook has interesting observances of these complicated situations.This is a good book for the 21st century where it appears Lebanon is again descending into chaos, and Israel has once again tried the tactic of invading southern Lebanon.Freidman does a good job making a chaotic situation interesting while providing new insights.

A "Must Read" for Citizens of the World at the Beginning of the 21st Century
I have not yet completed From Beirut to Jerusalem, but I have been fascinated by every word.Mr. Friedman's intellectual approach to the every-day life, religions and politics of the Middle East is written in an easily understandable, conversational manner.He asks questions, finds a range of answers from varied sources, and shares his conclusions in a non-judgmental way.Mr. Friedman's in-depth study of the interplay of religions and politics in the Middle East has clarified many questions I had and has validated some of my thoughts. I better understand what is happening in the Middle East and am rethinking my own political views on today's events. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1973-1993    2. 1979-    3. Arab-Israeli conflict    4. Foreign Relations    5. General    6. History    7. History: World    8. International Relations - General    9. Israeli intervention, 1982-1984    10. Lebanon    11. Middle East    12. Middle East - General    13. Politics / Current Events    14. Politics and government    15. Friedman, Thomas L    16. Journeys   

Reviews (1)

A dream relived

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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: American    4. Middle East - General    5. Modern - 20th Century    6. Presidents & Heads of State    7. United States - 20th Century    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    9. History / United States / 20th Century    10. Lebanon    11. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (6)

Worth reading
There are also more facts that demonstrated scores of pitiful signs of agonising 'stories'.
The most complete political history of the 1982 conflict
Without doubt this is the definite account of the 1982 war in Lebanon, although the reader who is more interested in the military aspects of the campaign should read also Samuel Katz's excellent "Israeli Tank Battles". The authors give plenty of information regarding the dark motives of the israeli policy in Lebanon, the alliance with the Christian Maronites and the complex games played by Ariel Sharon (Defense Minister of Israel) and Bashir Gemayel. The most astonishing fact in the book is the way that one minister (Sharon) dragged a government and a whole nation in a war adventure without telling the truth and not explaining his objectives from the beginning. The campaign of 1982 never intented to go far beyond the Litani river but eventually the IDF reached Beirut and placed a siege there for months! Also, the clash with the Syrians in the Bekaa valley was Sharon's choice and the israeli cabinet was forced to accept it! The terrible massacres of Shabra and Shatila are also vovered in many pages and in great detail. I wish the authors had devoted some more pages to the military events, such as the brilliant victory of the israeli air force above the Bekaa.

Yasser forces Israel's hand and Sharon wipes him out
Over 20 years after it was published, the story of the Israeli attempt to eradicate massive and repeated terrorist attacks emanating from the PLO (Bubba's/Jacques/UN's buddy Yasser) in Lebanon is no less important.Interestingly, Lebanon is still struggling to rid itself of Syrian occupation.They have gone from the vegan dictator Hafez Assad murdering opponents and journalists to the Syrian optometrist dictator murdering opponents and journalists (another killed last week 7/2005).