Lebanon: Fire and Embers: A History of the Lebanese Civil War

Once known as the Switzerland of the Middle East, Lebanon, the only Arab state headed by a Christian president, slipped into one of the longest civil wars in history in April 1975. With a few interludes of uneasy peace, and two invasions by Israel, the conflict continued until October 1990. In this account of the people, politics and policies that led to the internal strife in this troubled republic, and fuelled it for nearly 16 years, Dilip Hiro lays bare the intricate twists and turns of regional and international diplomacy and military strategies, involving not only Lebanon's various Christian and Muslim factions but also Syria, Israel, the PLO, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, America, France and the United Nations. The conflict cost Lebanon half a million casualties, including 150,000 dead, a quarter of them children, in a country with a population of 3.5 million.