Flawed Victory: How Lebanon Became a Culture of War and Hate

by Trevor N. Dupuy, Paul Martell

There was a time when Lebanon was seen as the Switzerland of the Middle democratic, an island of economic stability and social progress—in short, a delightful land. But in fact since the days of its modern inception in 1920, and for centuries before, Lebanon has been a feudal country torn by religious, communal, and ethnic conflicts. This very readable book traces Lebanon’s history and shows how it became a cauldron of hate and war in modern times. The significance of the influx of some 450,000 Palestinians between 1948 and 1972 and the Civil War and the foreign interventions of the 1970s are shown as the background of the more recent tragedies. But it is the war in 1982, in the context of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, that is the main focus of the account. The 1982 military operations—the Southern Lebanon Israeli invasion, the fighting in the Bekaa Valley, and the siege of Beirut—are described in highly readable factual. The Palestinian guerrilla operations against Israel, and the Israeli responses, are documented thoroughly, as well as many little known incursions by the PLO. The roles of Major Haddad of the so-called “Free Lebanese Army”, of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and the Multi-national Peace Force are clarified. This in-depth study is objective, scholarly and complete; it is important reading for all persons interested in what took place in Lebanon and concerned as to how that conflict may affect the future of the Middle East. Paul Martell was born in Poland and graduated from the University of Warsaw with a degree in international relations. He has published numerous articles in professional journals. He was co-author for the book Great Battles of the Eastern Front as well as World Military Leaders. As a specialist in East-bloc and Middle Eastern developments he had a profound interest and knowledge of the events in Lebanon that were heightened by his extensive travels in the area. Trevor N. Dupuy is one of the leading military historians in the world today. He is the author or co-author of over 80 published books and of numerous articles in leading military journals. Colonel Dupuy has written extensively on the Arab-Israeli conflicts, most notably his book Elusive Victory, which is a military history of the Arab-Israeli wars from 1947 to 1974. Colonel Dupuy is perhaps best known as the co-author, with his father, of the classic Encyclopedia of Military History.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2018

About the author

Trevor Dupuy attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1938. During World War II he commanded a U.S. Army artillery battalion, a Chinese artillery group, and an artillery detachment from the British 36th Infantry Division. He was always proud of the fact that he had more combat time in Burma than any other American, and received decorations for service or valour from the U.S., British, and Chinese governments. After the war Dupuy served in the United States Department of Defense Operations Division[1] from 1945 to 1947, and as military assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army from 1947 to 1948. He was a member of the original Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) staff in Paris under Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Matthew Ridgway from 1950 to 1952.

It is as a military historian and a theorist that Trevor Dupuy would make a lasting mark on the world. He is perhaps best known for his massive book The Encyclopedia Of Military History (co-written, like many of his books, with his father R. Ernest Dupuy). Starting from the beginning of history and going up the present day the book tries to cover all the major (and minor) military conflicts in world history. Usually each entry (arranged chronologically and by region) gives little more than the names of the commanders and (often) very rough estimates for the size of the forces involved in the campaigns. Dupuy was not afraid of expressing an opinion and he classified some of his subjects as Great Captains (such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Frederick II of Prussia and Napoleon). Like most Western reference works it spends far more time dealing with wars in Europe and the United States than the rest of the world, but it does at least try to cover the entire world. The Encyclopedia Of Military History has been revised (and updated) several times, most recently in 1993. It can be found in the reference section of most American libraries.