Crossroads to Civil War: Lebanon 1958-1976

by Kamal Salibi, كمال الصليبي

Book by Salibi, Kamal S.

Genres: Lebanon, Middle East, History, Nonfiction, Politics

178 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1976

Reviews

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives an overview of the elements that laid the foundations for the eruption of the Lebanese civil war, starting with 1958. Throughout the book, and as the crisis progresses, Salibi at each turn informs us of the actors at play, which to be fair was quite confusing considering the number of politicians and especially militias involved. Lots of informations are given in general, without going into much details, showing that the purpose of the book mainly strives to give the reader a general look onto the start of the Lebanese civil war. This is also probably partly due to the fact that Salibi writes finished writing this book in 1976, no one could have known about the many more fightings and massacres that were to come. In this regard, it is a weird feeling to be reading this book, when back then some hope that end of the war was pending. On the other hand, the fact that Salibi avoids going into much details tend to oversimplification, which gives the story a false narrative. The example that made me most cringe is the Muslim vs Christian dichotomy. By referring to the militias involved by their religious affiliation conceals the ideologies which opposed many of them that identify as Muslim/Christian, mainly if they were right-wing or left (or part of the "radicals", as Salibi calls them). Because after all, neither group is a monolithic entity. Not every Maronite supported the Kataeb, nor every Muslim the Murabitun for example. I think that more emphasis was needed on this.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is easily the best of the several books I have so far read which deal wholly or in part with the Lebanese Civil War; strangely, it is also one of the shortest. This is the first of Professor Salibi's books I have had the opportunity to read, and he absolutely lives up to his reputation as a brilliant historian. Even though it only covers the years indicated in the title, I would venture to say that this is the one indispensable work on the Lebanese conflict. There are other books that concentrate primarily on later stages in the history of Lebanon, particularly the era between the Israeli invasion of 1978 and the assassination of President-elect Bashir Gemayel in late 1982, but none of the ones I have read explain the background and early stages of the conflict in anywhere near as much detail as does this one.

[Abdul · Rating 5 out of 5]

very informative