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Beware Of Small States: Lebanon, Battleground Of The Middle East (2008)

by David Hirst(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1568584229 (ISBN13: 9781568584225)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Nation Books

review 1: I abandoned the book early on after finding several historical inaccuracies in it. One of the most glaring is on p. 5 where the author claims that in its early days, Israel was "dependent on Great Britain, the dominant imperial state of the age, which had sponsored it."This is false. The UK was strongly against the rise of Israel as a state in the UN and elsewhere to the point that they were engaged in strong conflict with the Jews in Palestine, and tried to thwart all Israel-friendly movements in the General Assembly. Ernest Bevin, British Prime Minister at the time, was virulently against the rise of the Israeli state, by the admission of Bevin's own biographer.Disappointing. I was looking forward to having a good reference to Lebanon, but I cannot trust this book at... more all.
review 2: Beware of Small States is an immensely absorbing and thoroughly researched book on Lebanon's critically turbulent history which unavoidably evolves into the history of Middle East's Arab - Israeli conflict. The author David Hirst, explains how Lebanon endured seemingly endless turmoil since its independence from France in 1943 and played an unwilling role since then, for the unrest in that part of the world. The book is not an easy ready by any means. This is history with all its ugly truth and some more.Hirst's perspective is based on actual geo-political facts and the events that sowed the seeds of imminent conflict that caused the six Israel - Arab wars to date, the rise of Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), how Ayatollah Khomeini's militant group, Hizbullah got involved from Iran, Syria's so called big brother protection of Lebanon and interfering into its politics, other Arab leader's non-reaction when the need to do so was at hand and of course, Israel's relentless pursuit of aggression to disable any form of unity that would threaten its own existence - the root cause for this whole mess to start with. For those as ignorant as I was on the conflicts that plagued Middle East especially after World War II was born from the Palestine - Israel issue. This one underlying thorn caused Lebanon more than 40 years of turbulent existence which it had nothing to do from the outset. Like the author put it, Lebanon became the 'battleground of other people's wars'. Alas, being geographically poised to offer such a ground for two warring parties, unwittingly and inevitably Lebanon got drawn into the 'Arab - Israeli struggle' on Lebanon's land. And so, this whole Lebanon being the place where proxy wars are waged grew into a regional and international quagmire that has lasted till the Obama's administration with no resolution in sight. In conclusion David Hirst does say that he was inspired to write this side of Lebanon's history where he has lived and made his home for half a century but at every turn, the Arab-Israeli struggle kept intruding as an intrinsic part of the country's life. He needed and wanted to tell the world how this small nation became the pawn that other powerful hands used to maneuver and ultimately destroyed for their gain sake. He couldn't have written a better book. I now have a totally different view on Israel but one must seek knowledge from all angles before a personal conclusion can be made. David Hirst has made his opinion well and true. It's up to us now who have read 'Beware of Small States' to seek more facts from opposite sides if any; to make up our own minds. However, I think David Hirst has got the truth spot on. less

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