From Publishers Weekly
If there's a gaping hole in your knowledge of the Middle East just north of Israel, Harris's straightforward, thorough guide to Lebanon will more than plug the gap. Harris, a visiting professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, past faculty member of Haigazian University College in Beirut and author of Taking Root: Israeli Settlement in the West Bank, the Golan and Gaza-Sinai, 1967-1980, makes no attempt to hide his affection for the troubled country (his wife is a Shiite Muslim, and his family frequently visits Lebanon). Yet he presents a relatively unbiased overview of Lebanon since 1920, from geography and land squabbles to political leaders and their maneuverings. Harris manages to find a harmonious balance between the wry asides of taxi drivers and floating local tales (he lists one as "perhaps apocryphal but illustrative of Beirut's nuances" in his detailed Notes section) on the one hand and interviews with such luminaries as a former deputy director of Israeli military intelligence and the chairman of the Palestine National Council on the other. He is as cognizant of others' works as he is thorough: he skips over some specific incidents, he tells the reader, "because there are detailed accounts... by other authors," then lists them. Especially engrossing, but all too infrequent, are the paragraphs in which Harris inserts himself into the action rather than acting as the responsible journalist and hanging back. It is only in his conclusion that the author really lets loose his anger about the troubles he has studied, observed and painstakingly recorded.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Harris (geography, Univ. of Otago, New Zealand) who contributes the chapter on Lebanon to the annual Middle East Contemporary Survey, has traveled frequently to Lebanon since 1983. This is an exhaustive treatment of a complex subject, with implications for other parts of the world currently torn by sectarian strife. Its main purpose, however, is to interpret the origins, nature, and fate of the Lebanese state and society after 1920 when what would become modern-day Lebanon was artificially created by Britain and France following the demise of the Ottoman Empire. Although a Lebanese entity initially took shape in the 16th century, and three religions have coexisted and competed there since the seventh century, it is the ethnic divisiveness of the 20th century that is relevant to the current international scene. Although the violence ended five years ago, the Lebanese crisis continues; the stability that exists is due to Syrian domination, and sectarianism is as rampant as ever. Though an index would have been useful, this is an excellent book, well written and documented, that contains informed analysis. However, it is a scholarly study only for academic and specialized Middle East or international affairs collections.?Ruth K. Baacke, Whatcom Cty. Lib. Sys., Bellingham, Wash.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
