` Beware of Small States` wrote Mikhail Bukanin in 1870. He could have meant Lebanon: a sectarian state no bigger than Wales that has become battleground for one of the defining conflicts of twentieth-century history. Throughout its short existence, it has been attacked, invaded, occupied or interfered with to serve the political interests of foreign powers, resulting a series of devastating wars & crises. To understand Lebanon`s history is to understand the history of the entire region
- &, with the rise of Hizbullah, it has come to assume a disproportionate, dangerous power of its own. Iran & Israel now face each other in the hills of south Lebanon. David Hirst, author of ” The Gun & the Olive Branch, ” is a hugely respected commentator on the Arab-Israeli crisis. In a masterly narrative, he gives a much-needed, comprehensive history of the country & its conflicts, culminating with the recent war in Gaza & its fallout in Lebanon. Powerful & often moving, ” Beware of Small States” is a magisterial book, essential reading for understanding Lebanon or the current political climate of the Middle East.