Hizb'allah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis [Paperback]

Magnus Ranstorp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1997

The Lebanese Hizb'Alla organisation and its involvement in the abduction of Western citizens is a complex subject veiled in secrecy which plagued the conduct of foreign policy for most Western governments for over a decade. The West's chequered response to the hostage-crisis underlines the dilemma of the fulfilment of these state's duty to protect their citizens taken hostage abroad without major sacrifices in the conduct of foreign policy. This study demonstrates that the abduction of Western citzens by the Hizb'Allah was motivated either by internal organisational requirements or in alignment with Syrian and Iranian interests and that mechanisms for the resolution of the hostage-crisis were subject to continuous interaction between Hizb'Allah, Iran, and Syria, influenced by internal Lebanese, regional and international events.

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312164912
• ISBN-13: 978-0312164911
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > History > Middle East > Lebanon

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Contemporary Study of Lebanese Hizballah To Date, March 13, 2000

By 

Prof. James K. Campbell, MA, American Militar... (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hizb'allah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis (Paperback)

Ranstorp's work elucidates the key nature of the Lebanese Hizballah, their doctrine, tactics, political objectives, and ties to their state-sponsor Iran. If you want to understand what the future may hold for Lebanon, and the real prospects for a peace between Israel-Syria/ Israel-Lebanon, this book is a must read.