Lebanon: After the Cedar Revolution ed. by Are Knudsen and Michael Kerr (review)

Lebanon: After the Cedar Revolution discusses developments in Lebanon after the 2005 assassination of the prime minister Rafik Hariri. The stated purpose of the book is to provide analyses of recent Lebanese history. However, the selections in the book are largely descriptive and do not offer new readings or findings about the Lebanese situation or its related complexities; they also strongly reflect the biases of the authors, resulting in a very superficial reading of the situation in Lebanon. While the chapters are written by different authors, the selections share many similarities in approach and viewpoint – such as the view that the Cedar Revolution was the most important event in Lebanon in the past few decades, or that the assassination of Rafik Hariri was the cause of the revolution. They affirm the view that the assassination was planned and executed by Syria as well as Syria’s strongest ally in Lebanon, Hizbullah. In keeping with that, the authors find different ways to malign Hizbullah.

The book presents a decisively positive image of Hariri’s political and economic legacy in Lebanon and for the Lebanese. This is despite the fact that Hariri’s economic policies significantly increased the Lebanese public debt, thereby indebting future generations to international financial organizations for years to come. Many people feel that Hariri widened the gap between social classes, and that he favoured the wealthy over the marginalized and poor. He was also seen by many as a reflection of the brutality of capitalism. Nonetheless, these perspectives are overlooked in the book. Rather than addressing these issues and the genuine causes for opposition to Hariri, the book frames opposition to Hariri in a negative light.

While sectarianism in Lebanon is a complex issue, the book also treats it in a superficial manner and simply describes the power conflict between Sunnis and Shi‘as in Lebanon, as well as offers recollections of the civil war and its impact on the younger generation. A key omission is the effect of external influence on sectarian politics in Iran. For instance, the book neglects the strong influence of Saudi Arabia, which is known as having been the strongest ally to the pro-Hariri and Sunni groups, as well as to have been at odds with Hizbullah and Syria’s other allies. Saudi’s self-proclaimed role as the leader of the Sunni world, and as an opponent of the Iranian-Syrian link with Hizbullah (which thereby makes it a major component in the Lebanese equation) is also neglected.

While the book purports to focus on Lebanon after the Cedar Revolution, a fair amount of space is dedicated to Lebanon before the Cedar Revolution. It essentially repeats things – such as regarding the Ta’if Accords – that are already well-known to the Lebanese community as well as neighbouring populations. It is as if the book is trying to show that Syria had a negative influence on Lebanon, and that this was reflected in the Ta’if reconciliation bargain. As a result, the book strongly draws attention towards the relationship between Syria and Hizbullah, presenting the latter as one of the main causes of the instability in Lebanon, which ended up with the assassination of Rafik Hariri and the marginalization of other political factions.

In contrast, many believe that Hizbullah is the only resistance party to have achieved a balance with Israel and to have stopped Israeli aggressions against Lebanon. Hizbullah is seen as the liberator of Lebanon, and has hence become very influential in Lebanon as well as across the Arab world. Hizbullah has also made significant contributions towards solving the complex social problems among the economically disadvantaged Shi‘a community. Through Hizbullah’s consistency and determination, this community has become an active element in social and political issues on a national level in Lebanon. Now, Hizbullah faces different challenges from different directions. It faces opposition from its domestic opponents especially with respect to its relationship with...