Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a State and Rise of a Nation

by Theodor Hanf

For fifteen years, Lebanon's disparate confessional groups waged a bloody and protracted civil war. Still today, power-sharing between Sunni, Shi'i, Christian and Druze groups is a precarious balance, greatly affected by and in turn affecting events across the Middle East. But even during times of conflict, Lebanon's communities have managed a modicum of agreeing on the importance of maintaining the Lebanese state and sharing the fear of being the player left standing in a macabre game of musical chairs. Tracing the origins of the civil war, Theodor Hanf shows that it was primarily a surrogate war over Palestine which escalated into a conflict between the diverse Lebanese communities. Hanf's central theme is the problem of conflict and conflict regulation between these groups, a theme which continues to have resonance over two decades since the end of the civil war. This highly influential book - now available in a paperback edition - delves into vital issues, such as how conflicts were peacefully regulated before the war, and how the country came to be a battlefield for proxy wars and analyses the prospects for permanent coexistence.

Genres: History, Lebanon, Middle East, Nonfiction, Politics, War

736 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Zizi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot--a lot--of books on the Lebanese Civil War for research on a paper. This one is by far the best, and it's a genuine crime that it remains virtually unknown and difficult to find. Most books on the subject written by Western authors fall victim to a Forrest Gump syndrome, where the author must insert himself into the most dramatic events (often dubiously); actual Lebanese/Syrian/Israeli/Palestinian individuals are typically nameless, wooden characters who disappear two pages after they're first introduced. Important political or military figures are looked at through the author's eyes only, with no real attempt to ask residents of the area why they are following them. These books are only the war through the eyes of (in most cases) British and American men, and nothing more. It is incredibly frustrating.

Hanf avoids this completely by using a strategy you'd think would have occurred to someone else already: actually asking the people involved what they were thinking, why they did what they did, and how they feel about it in hindsight. The entire book is full of dozens of interviews with leading figures from just about every faction involved in the war. Militia leaders, clergymen, spokesmen, ordinary fighters, politicians, soldiers, army generals, journalists, and ordinary civilians are just some of the individuals who have given Hanf access to their thoughts. The tones of the responses run the gamut from unrepentant to ambiguous to ashamed; the interviews were conducted not long after the war's conclusion, in the early 90s, and many wounds were obviously still far from healing.

A basic narrative structure describing the key events of the war links all of the interviews together, and they are presented in an easily-understandable, fluid way. The rapidly-deteriorating political, economic, and social conditions of the country are explored from the perspectives of all the country's different factions and communities, with most blaming the others while also acknowledging that there was more they could have done to stop things from falling apart so disastrously. Hanf uses a variety of other tools, like extracts from surveys and public speeches, to ensure that those who were not able to be interviewed in the early 90s (deceased politicians and former college students who have largely left the country, e.g.) also have their voices included.

This is not a happy book. In contrast to works written by many other Western authors on the subject, there is no real castigation against any one group. Even those figures described by their contemporaries as fanatical or violent are praised for some of their other qualities, often from unexpected individuals. Everyone in this book is a human being, not a monster, and that makes their actions all the more frightening.

[Mano Chil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book on the Lebanese civil war and what each fighting group was trying to achieve.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb reference tome on the Lebanese civil war. The sociological analysis is interesting as well. If anyone cane find me a reasonably priced copy, I will name my first-born after you.