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In this long-awaited work, Samir Khalaf analyzes the history of civil strife and political violence in Lebanon and reveals the inherent contradictions that have plagued that country and made it so vulnerable to both inter-Arab and superpower rivalries. How did a
fairly peaceful and resourceful society, with an impressive history of viable
pluralism, coexistence, and republicanism, become the site of so much
barbarism and incivility? Khalaf argues that historically internal grievances have been magnified or deflected to become the source of international conflict. From the beginning, he shows, foreign interventions have consistently exacerbated internal problems.
Lebanon's fragmented political culture is a byproduct of two general features. First, it reflects the traditional forces and political conflicts caused by striking differences in religious beliefs and communal and sectarian loyalties that continue to split the society and reinforce its factional character. Second, and superimposed on these, are new forms of socioeconomic and cultural stress caused by Lebanon's role in the continuing international conflicts in the region.
Khalaf concludes that Lebanon is now at a crossroads in its process of political and social transformation, and proposes some strategies to re-create a vibrant civil and political culture that can accommodate profound transformations in the internal, domestic sphere as well as mediate developments taking place internationally. Throughout, Khalaf demonstrates how the internal and external currents must be considered simultaneously in order to understand the complex and tragic history of the country. This deeply considered and subtle analysis of the interplay of complex historical forces helps us to imagine a viable future not only for Lebanon but also for the Middle East as a whole.
List of contents
I.ON PROXY WARS AND SURROGATE VICTIMS
Lebanon as an Ugly Metaphor!
The Inside-Outside Dialectics
II.THE RADICALIZATION OF COMMUNAL LOYALTIES
The Resilience of Communalism
Social Strife and Communal Violence
III.THE DRIFT INTO INCIVILITY
Globalism and Uncivil Wars
The Pathologies of Protracted Violence
The Sanctification of Cruelty
IV.PEASANTS, COMMONERS AND CLERICS: Resistance and Rebellion: 1820-1860
Feudal Society of Mount Lebanon
New Forms of Collective Protest
The Uprising of 1820
The Uprising of 1840
The Uprising of 1857-60
Inferences
V.REVOLT AND COUNTER-REVOLT: Civil Strife of 1958
Drift into Insurgency
Embattled Groups and Regions
Beirut
Tripoli
The Chuf
Sidon
Kataeb's Counter Revolution
Inferences
VI.LEBANON'S GOLDEN/GILDED AGE: 1943-1975
Lebanon As a "Success Story"
Economic Performance
Social Mobilization
Intellectual and Cultural Awakening
Lebanon As A "Playground"
VII.FROM PLAYGROUND TO BATTLEGROUND: Preludes to Civil Strife
Radicalization of Discontent and Fear
Outbreak of Violence: Early Rounds
VIII.THE SCARES AND SCARS OF WAR
The Domestication of Violence
Multiple and Shifting Targets of Hostility
The Reterritorialization of Identities
The Spaces of War
A War System
The Magnitude of Trauma and Stress
Post-war Barbarism
Retribalization
Familism
Communalism
Confessionalism
XI.FROM SHAKIB EFFENDI TO TA'IF
The Partition Scheme of 1843
The Règlement Organique of 1861
The State of Greater Lebanon, 1920
The National Covenant of 1943
The Ta'if Accord of 1990
X.PROSPECTS FOR CIVILITY
Memory, Space and Identity
The Cultures of Disappearance and Resistance
The Social Technologies of Pacification
Prospects for the Restoration of Civility
About the author
Samir Khalaf
Summary
In this work, Samir Khalaf analyses the history of civil strife and political violence in Lebanon throughout its history. He reveals what he views as the inherent deficiencies and contradictions that have plagued Lebanon, particularly its vulnerability to inter-Arab and superpower rivalries.
