Lebanon: A Country in Fragments

by Andrew Arsan

Lebanon seems a country in the grip of permanent crisis. In recent years it has suffered blow after blow, from Rafiq Hariri's assassination in 2005, to the 2006 July War, to the current Syrian conflict, which has brought a million refugees streaming into the country.
This is an account not just of Lebanon's high politics, with its endless rows, walk-outs, machinations and foreign alliances, but also of the politics of everyday life: all the stresses and strains the country's inhabitants face, from electricity black-outs and uncollected rubbish to stagnating wages and property bubbles. Andrew Arsan moves between parliament and the public squares where protesters gather, between luxury high-rises and refugee camps, and between expensive nightclubs and seafront promenades, providing a comprehensive view of Lebanon in the twenty-first century.
Where others have treated Lebanon's woes as exceptional, a by-product of its sectarianism and particular vulnerability to regional crises, Arsan argues that there is nothing particular about Lebanon's predicament. Rather, it is a country of the age--one of neoliberal economics, populist fervor, forced displacement, rising xenophobia, and public disillusion. Lebanon, in short, offers us a lens through which to look on our times.

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

520 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2020

Reviews

[Meonicorn (The Bookish Land) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of theFrom and About Asia Reading Project.

When searching for books about Lebanon, one question was always in my mind: after the infamous Lebanese Civil War, what does life in Lebanon look like now? There aren’t many options of it, since most of the books on Lebanon are written about Civil War, and the people are still living under the shadow of it. So I’m glad I found Lebanon: A Country in Fragments.

This book provides a very good overview of Lebanon in the most recent years. Opening with a powerful (but heartbroken) recount of how many civilians died due to the continuous conflict and how many major changes happened in Lebanon politics in the recent 13 years, the book has two parts. Read my full review on my blog :)

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[Sara Saab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arsan is a scholar of contemporary Lebanon, and this book looks at the modern period since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by the Assad regime in a car bomb in 2005.

I thought this was pretty great. It really shone when it turned its magnifying glass on the spoil-divvying, clientistic, nepotist, and generally undying zombies of the class of political scions who seem incapable of unclenching their grip on an asphyxiating nation (unless, unfortunate as it is to note, they are blown to smithereens). The analysis of culture and society I found a little more soft, with a lot of references to social media moments, and less of a developed thesis.

The final essay, on the rubbish crisis of 2015-2019, was very very good as a case study capturing the dynamics of the whole f***ed up system from top to bottom. I found myself wishing this had been updated into the hyperinflationary apocalypse and Port explosion that came shortly after the afterword, not to mention the ouster of Assad and the election of Nawaf Salam and his government.

Not a beach read, but extremely rewarding.

[Joey Ayoub · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most valuable books on recent Lebanese history

[Giovanni García-Fenech · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is amazing - it explains pretty much every aspect of contemporary Lebanon, from politics to private life. It was written before the 2020 Beirut explosion, but you can learn why this calamity would not be so surprising to the Lebanese. You can also see why the collapse of its currency was just a matter of time. Highly recommended.

[Kristine NM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read, again because of what was happening in Lebanon with the war.

Andrew has an interesting perspective as he sees Lebanese society not through a sectarian perspective, which is always done, but rather through class. Although sometimes I think he went overboard in assessing everything through a socialist view, it was still a fresh perspective.

He splits the book in two, the first section about Lebanese politics since 2000, and the second about Lebanon's day to day life. He was able to explain really well aspects of Lebanon, like the relationship between political leaders and their followers and the absurdity of Lebanese society.

It made me kind of sad reading this book though, since it focused on 2000s until 2019 and it made me realize that Lebanon just goes through cycles, we live through the same thing every 10 years or so. The same issues we had in early 2000s are still here in 2024. It made me hopeless. But it is an excellent read if you want to know more about Lebanon through a relatively neutral lens, he goes into specifics.

[FellowBibliophile KvK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Minimises and normalises Hezbollah while pointing out the imperfections of everyone else.

[Natharian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right when you begin reading this book, you realize that it will be one of those invaluable history books with more than their fair share of perception-shattering pages. As a young and fervent Lebanese adult living in the midst of the crisis, I came in with an entitled sense of expectation that any confused compatriot robbed of their right to understand our history would have when approaching an informative volume such as this. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.

In the first part of the book, Andrew digs deep into the complex political affairs that have plagued the country's recent history, presenting the scene in a lucid and chronological manner that is compelled to leave its readers with a solid understanding of the intricacies of recent Lebanese politics. However, and in a way that was pleasantly surprising, it is the second part that separates this work from the others. In the latter portion of the book, the author explores the realm of the everyday while still enacting the same methods of rigorous research. He attempts to relay some of the reasons behind the erosion of Beirut's identity, one deluged under the influence of corporations acting on the behalf of capitalists with neoliberal agendas. I couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of personal invasion and claustrophobia when realizing the extent of Lebanon's inability to provide ample access to public areas for its citizens.

I wish Andrew is considering writing another account on the period encompassing the October 17 revolution and the chaos afterwards. Seeing as much of the country is in disarray on all fronts, books like this one act as educational coping mechanisms that allow us to make sense of our ominous times.

[Valectrice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book demonstrates the importance of having a good editor. It is packed with full of information but it reads as though the author was determined to include all of the information written down on his index cards, regardless of whether it provided insight about the Lebanon in the period covered. The author also annoyingly throws in Arabic words all the time. Most of the time the Arabic phrase has no particular meaning or significance, it is just the Arabic along with the English. To me it came across as the author wanting to show that he knew Arabic. This book was a slog.

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best book available in English covering the recent history of Lebanon. However, too often the adjective rich clichés of Neo-Marxism clutter the text. It's hard not to feel that the author disdains Lebanese culture, and there's little in the book to explain why the author is attracted to the country. From the evidence of the text, he doesn't like the place. The population is held at arm's length, the people observed but not understood.

[Svenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough review of the tumultuous last 15 years in Lebanon, with a particular focus on the impact of the political squabble on everyday life in Lebanon. Good background to help understand the current economic/political crisis in the country, though unfortunately not one that will imbue the reader with a sense of optimism.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book after living in Lebanon over one year. I really recommend it- explains many episodes, trends, incidents that I have heard referred to in my time in Lebanon but never fully understood (probably still don’t). This book is highly readable as well. Only wish there was a part 2 covering events from late 2019 to the present.