Global Security WatchLebanon: A Reference Handbook

(Hardback)

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A comprehensive examination of the complex domestic environment and the quarrelsome neighbors that contribute to Lebanon's condition as one of the most violent and unstable countries in the Middle East. Global Security WatchLebanon is the first volume to consider all factorspolitical, economic, religious, and actions by its neighborsthat have contributed to Lebanon's violent past and that shape its current security status. In Global Security WatchLebanon, author David Sorenson explores Lebanon's arcanealmost dysfunctionalpolitical structure and economic system, as well as the complex religious makeup of a country that is home to Christians, Jews, and Arabs with no majority faith. Sorenson also looks at how the nation has often served as a focal point of diplomatic and military conflict for other nations, including Syria, Iran, and Israel, as well as how ill-informed American policies toward Lebanon have ultimately harmed American strategic interests in the Middle East.

Reviews

Sorensen (international security, US Air Force Air War College) offers a portrait of Lebanon that focuses on security issues (as traditionally defined). He describes the country's modern history, its demographic make-up and how it is related to political and economic development (particularly important in the case of Lebanon and its 'confessional' political system), the nature and activities of Hezbollah, the interaction of Lebanon's political actors and outside regional forces, the role of Lebanon's military forces, and US policy towards Lebanon. Appendixes include biographies, a chronology, a handful of documents (including the text of the 1989 Taif Agreement), and lists of presidents and prime ministers of Lebanon. * Reference & Research Book News *
The book is readable and concise and concludes with some helpful appendices that provide biographies of selected Lebanese political fi gures, a chronology of Lebanon's history, some official documents, as well as a list of Lebanon's presidents and prime ministers. Considering the essential need for a simple rendering of Lebanese politics for students and the general public, this volume is a helpful one * The Middle East Journal *

Author Bio

David S. Sorenson, PhD, is professor of international security at the U.S. Air Force Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.