The War on Lebanon: A Reader [Paperback]

Nubar Hovsepian (Editor), Rashid Khalidi (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2007

Israel's 34-day bombardment of Lebanon in the summer of 2006-in which more than 1000 Lebanese civilians lost their lives-is one of the most tragic events to take place in the Middle East this century. It was unleashed in the context of the continued Israeli assault on the Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, as well as the US effort to "bring democracy" and redraw the map of the Middle East from Afghanistan to Iraq and perhaps to Iran.

What explains Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers and the scale of Israel's retaliation? Why did the US reject an early ceasefire, instead egging on Israel as it pummeled Lebanon and casualties mounted? Why did President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice believe the Lebanese and other Arabs would welcome the "birth pangs" of a "new Middle East" designed by the US and Israel? And where will it all lead? Can the party continue to be both part of Lebanon's parliament and an independent resistance movement? Will Lebanon become a modern, non-sectarian state or will the confessional order be further entrenched?

These and other vital questions are addressed in this collection of essays by internationally respected scholars and experts from around the world who examine the ethical, legal and strategic issues of the conflict, and analyze the consequences facing the region and the world in the wake of the Israeli invasion. Ultimately, the solution for Lebanon is intricately connected to the wider issues of the Middle East, including the right of the Palestinians to independence.

Contributors include: Rashid Khalidi ¥ Noam Chomsky ¥ Fawwaz Traboulsi ¥ Asa'd Abukhalil ¥ Lara Deeb ¥ Georges Corm ¥ Stephen Zunes ¥ Irene Gendzier ¥ Azmi Bishara ¥ Yitzhak Laor ¥ Rasha Salti ¥ Elias Khoury ¥ Ziad Majed ¥ Rami Khouri ¥ Assaf Kfoury ¥ Richard Falk ¥ Phyllis Bennis ¥ Haneen Sayed ¥ William Hartung ¥ Fred Halliday ¥ Nubar Hovsepian ¥ Ghassan Tueini ¥ and others

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nubar Hovsepian is an associate professor of political science and international studies at Chapman University and the author of the forthcoming The Politics of Palestinian Education. He has written and edited four books (in Arabic) and has published numerous articles- on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the crises in the Gulf, and on the competing ideological currents in the Arab World- in professional journals and the international press. Hovsepian has devoted enormous time to the Israel/Palestine conflict. In 1982-84 he served as a Political Affairs Officer for the United Nations International Conference on the Question of Palestine. This conference introduced the two-state solution as the basis for an international consensus on the resolution of the conflict.

Product Details

• Paperback: 422 pages
• Publisher: Olive Branch Press (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566566800
• ISBN-13: 978-1566566803
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,149,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent reader, May 15, 2008

By 

Matthew Smith "Roger Mexico" (TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War on Lebanon: A Reader (Paperback)

This is an excellent collection of work that has been compiled here. Nubar Hovsepian has done a wonderful job gathering together some very good essays, but more than that the editor deserves even more credit for organizing this material in such a flawless manner. Usually what I don't like about Readers such as this one is that many times the contributions will be too disparate tackling different issues and jumping from one topic to the next creating a lack of continuity within the entire work, or the focus will become to narrow in which the different topics will overlap constantly giving the reader the feeling that they are essentially reading the same article over and over again but written by different people. This book does neither which makes for an easy flow from one essay to the next. Each one covers a topic distinct but related to the broader topic where it has been placed. This makes the book not only highly enlightening but a joy to read in its own right.

The book is broken down into six parts covering the Lebanon war from a variety of angles, and while some contributions shine brighter than others I found everyone to be valuable. I must also credit this book for introducing me to some very talented scholars. Lara Deeb's contribution really stood out for me. Her article on Hizballah and its history within Lebanon was excellent. She is a superb writer and a meticulous scholar. I am eager to read some of her other works.

Kirsten Scheid's account was a stellar contribution as well. Her account of her war experience during this conflict really gives the reader the human perspective of what the war was like for those on the ground. Her accounts written during the fighting are filled with a dark humor that emphasizes the ironic. It is a humanizing account that shows the coping mechanisms that individuals develop to deal with harrowing situations. After writing a particular passage that was egging on the Israelis, castigating them for being late on bombing her area, she ends with, "I like writing that. It makes me feel like I'm in control. Ha!". This to me was a poignant moment. The need to feel control, and also the need to feel a part of the resistance is overwhelming. The absolute powerlessness of her situation and the knowledge of immanent, arbitrary death from above begets this need to defy, and in that defiance regain some control no matter how fleeting or intangible that control really is. Her entire contribution was profound, but that moment really stuck in my mind.

As for criticism there was an article by Elias Khoury in part three that seemed out of place. It was almost too literary and over-written for the format. It stands in stark contrast to the gritty realism and raw emotion within that section. It broke the feel and the flow of part three. I felt similarly about Bishara's contribution as well.

All in all this is a very strong work that is filled with powerful emotions and scholarly arguments. The book does a great job in melding the emotional and scholarly into a cohesive and profound work. From Sara Roy's emotional "A Jewish Plea" to Richard Falk and Asli Bali's detailed "International Law at the Vanishing Point" this book is elucidating and powerful. In one book the reader is offered history, humanity and scholarly assessment of the affects of this conflict. The editor has put together a terrific collection that I highly recommend.

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent account by several scholars, November 30, 2007

By 

Samir Kassir "Sam" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The War on Lebanon: A Reader (Paperback)

I very much enjoyed this book that contains la creme of several studies and articles on the 2006 war in Lebanon. Not only the capable and authoritative role of Dr. Khalidi but the inclusion of several scholarly accounts, articles, tables, and studies that provide a full spectrum of information. You will find economic, political, humanitarian, and military details that give a good picture of what happened. And no, this is not an anti-Israeli diatribe; respectable Israeli scholars will appreciate it too and will use it. Policy makers in the Middle East ought to benefit from such books.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, August 26, 2009

By 

N. Mozahem (Al Ain, United Arab of Emirates) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The War on Lebanon: A Reader (Paperback)

This is an excellent book about a war that changed the Middle East forever. Although we are living in what is referred to as "the information age", most people living outside the Middle East had no idea about the events that led to this war. Most people tend to think that this war started when Hezzbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. Through a series of well written articles, this book shows that this was not the case at all. This war was well planned, but terribly executed by the Israeli army. For those that claim that the book is biased, in a war where 1,200 Lebanese civilians were killed because two soldiers were captured, the only way to be "objective" is to ignore the facts. Israel's response was disproportinate and cruel. The book tells you why using numbers, facts and quotes.