The New Face of Lebanon: History's Revenge

by William W Harris

Overview

Once known as the Switzerland of the Middle East, Lebanon in the late 1980s was considered a failed state: strife prevailed among Maronite Christians, Sunnis, Shiites, Druze, and Palestinians. Now, barely into the 21st century, history has taken revenge. The Israelis have withdrawn from the South, and the Syrian troops from all of Lebanon, after the people of Beirut rallied against the occupations and took back their streets. But bombings and contract killings are still the order of the day, and the future of Lebanon remains uncertain. William Harris, a scholar and journalist who is frequently at the right place at the right time, is eminently qualified to analyze events and make projections about the future. When Lebanese Christian General Aoun made his triumphant return from French exile in 2005, he met with Harris. Their last encounter was in his bunker under bombardment. Under similar circumstances, Harris met with Arafat just before he was forced to leave Lebanon. Harris has also shared drinks with Druze leader Walid Jumblat, advised Israeli minister Yossi Beilin about their push for Lebanese withdrawal, and had several talks with various Ba’thist politicians in Damascus. Publishers Weekly has praised Harris for “managing to find a harmonious balance between wry asides of taxi drivers and local tales on the one hand and interviews with such luminaries as the former deputy director of Israel military intelligence and the chairman of the Palestine National Council on the other,” while Al-Hayat has remarked on the lively debates among Lebanese who read his books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558763920
Publisher:	Wiener, Markus Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/18/2009
Series:	Princeton Series on the Middle East
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	364
Sales rank:	1,136,529
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Married to a Lebanese Shiite, William Harris is fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish. Currently at the University of Otago, New Zealand, Harris has taught at Haigazian University College in Lebanon, Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Johns Hopkins University, Exeter University, University of New South Wales, and Princeton University.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction: Lebanon and the World

Part One: Elements of Lebanon

Land and Geopolitics

Sects and Identities

Families and Rulers

Part Two: Greater Lebanon, 1920-89

A House on Sand, 1920-67

Into the Abyss, 1967-86

Militias and Cantons, 1986-89

Part Three: Lebanon after the Cold War

The Adventure of Michel Aoun

Lebanon and Syria, 1990-2005

Conclusion

List of Maps, Figures, and Tables

Glossary of Acronyms

Notes

Bibliography of Names