Co-Existence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a State and Rise of a Nation

by Theodor Hanf

This book is both a comprehensive history and a penetrating analysis of war in Lebanon in recent years. Though primarily a surrogate war over Palestine, in recent years the conflict has also become one between different Lebanese groups which can only be understood in the light of these groups' fears of being excluded from the country's political and social power-centres. The book's main theme is the problem of conflict and conflict regulation in Lebanon. How were conflicts regulated peacefully in pre-war Lebanon? How do the Lebanese - political and military leaders on the one hand and ordinary citizens on the other - view events in their country? What are their aspirations, and what do they believe they must realistically settle for? Can peaceful co-existence between Lebanon's different communities be re-established? The answers to these questions are of fundamental importance not only to Lebanon but the whole Middle East peace process. Professor Hanf's discussion of them is based on extensive first-hand research, as well as a wide range of primary and secondary sources.

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

512 pages, Hardcover

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.