stephen  d. leece

A magnificent effort, that although written by a professional journalist, has all the authority of a major academic tome, and still manages to be hugely enjoyable for the casual reader.

Hirst takes on a logical tour of what is now Lebanon from 1860 introducing us to the different faiths present, and as he terms it the, ‘seeds of conflict.’

Correctly identifying that there should have been an internal conflict following the creation of Israel, and despite minor crises in 1958 and the early 60s there isn’t really a problem until the PLO set up shop there following the Six Day War and the events of Black September in Jordan.

From 1970 war was inevitable and private armies were set-up by the various political and economic ruling classes.

There then follows a blow by blow account of the war not only within Lebanon but its ramifications in neighbouring Syria and Israel, and in the wider world.

Particularly useful is Hirst’s account of the Iranian Revolution that indirectly led to the rise of what became Hezbollah, and theimpact the Revolution had on particularly the USA with Hirst correctly pointing out that as soon as the Shah had been deposed, a proxy war with the States began.

One would expect the chapters covering Lebanon from the end of the Civil War to the election of President Obama to be of reduced quality because of the paucity of official documents open to the public, but this is not the case.

The Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006 is deftly covered and Hirst even covers Israeli incursions into Gaza in 2008- 2009 and manages to question the ability of President Obama to get a grip on the regions problems with much justification.

This is an indispensable book for those wishing to understand the complexities of the region and the modern conflicts therein.