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I Speak for Lebanon
English, French (translation)
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 10, 2015
What I expected (or hoped for) was a voice of reason among the noise, a politician among the shopkeepers, a statesman among the tribal leaders, a "Moallem". But Kamal Joumblatt disappointed me. It seems to me that his tragic assassination has elevated him from average/decent to legendary status (which apparently is a Lebanese tradition).
Chapter 1, The Plot.
The typical Lebanese "plot" disease did not escape Kamal Joumblatt. In this chapter, he gives vague hints of a "higher conspiracy" and the malice of the international community (as if the Lebanese are not responsible for their own actions), and blames the opposite party solely and completely for everything bad in Lebanon. For example, he blames the Christian right-wing for leading the arms race in 1967-1975 (which is true), but makes no mention of how the armed Palestinian presence rose exponentially in that period (after the disastrous war of 1967 and the disastrous Cairo agreement).
Chapter 2, Once Upon a Time, the Druses
I find it ironic that a left-wing socialist reformer identifies to this extent with a religious sect. In this chapter, he extols the virtues of the Druse community, including leading the charge for Lebanese autonomy during the Ottoman era (which is true and commendable). But could it be that there is no historical fault on the part of the Druse community? No mistakes in 500 years? Is the good neighbor, evil neighbor picture that he paints of the Druse and the Maronites an accurate depiction? It sounded very biased and sectarian to me...
Chapter 3, The Maronite Challenge
What is particularly disturbing is that the author does not single out the disastrous policies of the Maronite right wing establishment in modern Lebanon, but attacks the Maronites as a whole, and their complete history. He stigmatizes the whole community as "isolationary" and "reactionary" since centuries. He does say that about one third of the Maronites are decent enough (no idea what metric he used for that) and he mentions (in half a page) the Maronite contributions to Arab journalism, literature, and culture. But that is drowned out in a sea of clearly sectarian propaganda.
Chapter 1, The Plot.
The typical Lebanese "plot" disease did not escape Kamal Joumblatt. In this chapter, he gives vague hints of a "higher conspiracy" and the malice of the international community (as if the Lebanese are not responsible for their own actions), and blames the opposite party solely and completely for everything bad in Lebanon. For example, he blames the Christian right-wing for leading the arms race in 1967-1975 (which is true), but makes no mention of how the armed Palestinian presence rose exponentially in that period (after the disastrous war of 1967 and the disastrous Cairo agreement).
Chapter 2, Once Upon a Time, the Druses
I find it ironic that a left-wing socialist reformer identifies to this extent with a religious sect. In this chapter, he extols the virtues of the Druse community, including leading the charge for Lebanese autonomy during the Ottoman era (which is true and commendable). But could it be that there is no historical fault on the part of the Druse community? No mistakes in 500 years? Is the good neighbor, evil neighbor picture that he paints of the Druse and the Maronites an accurate depiction? It sounded very biased and sectarian to me...
Chapter 3, The Maronite Challenge
What is particularly disturbing is that the author does not single out the disastrous policies of the Maronite right wing establishment in modern Lebanon, but attacks the Maronites as a whole, and their complete history. He stigmatizes the whole community as "isolationary" and "reactionary" since centuries. He does say that about one third of the Maronites are decent enough (no idea what metric he used for that) and he mentions (in half a page) the Maronite contributions to Arab journalism, literature, and culture. But that is drowned out in a sea of clearly sectarian propaganda.
December 21, 2014
The final chapter, a lengthy interview with the journalist Philip Lapousterle (who edits this book), is deeply interesting. Jumblatt reflects critically on the 75-76 Lebanese Civil War, his leadership, his designs and his tactics, and his rhetoric, and on evolution versus revolution and democratic socialism versus marxism, and on Marxism in general, and on the social and economic structure of Lebanon, and on Arab politics in general. This interview alone is worth reading.
The rest of the book is mostly partisan, cynical, and scattered. It is marked by dense and burdensome essentialisms, though Jumblatt does reflect critically on Marxism. He's clearly well-read on Marx, Marxism, and historical materialism. He's critical especially of the Soviet application and he's opposed to one-party, vanguard Leninism. But these insights surface infrequently; the first three-quarters of the book is mostly screed.
The rest of the book is mostly partisan, cynical, and scattered. It is marked by dense and burdensome essentialisms, though Jumblatt does reflect critically on Marxism. He's clearly well-read on Marx, Marxism, and historical materialism. He's critical especially of the Soviet application and he's opposed to one-party, vanguard Leninism. But these insights surface infrequently; the first three-quarters of the book is mostly screed.
January 1, 2021
An excellent political memoir by an influential figure in the middle of a decades long war in Lebanon. Refreshingly honest and filled with shocking information about the war.
March 30, 2010
Lawyer Chibli Mallat has chosen to discuss Kamal Joumblatt's Pour Le Liban, on FiveBooks as one of the top five on his subject - Maverick Political Thought, saying that:
“This is by the Lebanese socialist leader who was assassinated in 1977 by the Syrian government. It holds profound reflections on the lack of Arab democracy, the curse of Middle East oil, the dominance of sectarianism, the structural authoritarianism of the Israeli state, the mediocrity of Lebanese Maronite politicians, and the “grand prison” that is Asad’s Syria.”
The full interview is available here: http://five-books.com/interviews/chibli-mallat
“This is by the Lebanese socialist leader who was assassinated in 1977 by the Syrian government. It holds profound reflections on the lack of Arab democracy, the curse of Middle East oil, the dominance of sectarianism, the structural authoritarianism of the Israeli state, the mediocrity of Lebanese Maronite politicians, and the “grand prison” that is Asad’s Syria.”
The full interview is available here: http://five-books.com/interviews/chibli-mallat
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews