What explains Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers and the scale of Israel's retaliation? Why did the US reject an early ceasefire, instead egging on Israel as it pummeled Lebanon and casualties mounted? Why did President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice believe the Lebanese and other Arabs would welcome the "birth pangs" of a "new Middle East" designed by the US and Israel? And where will it all lead? Can the party continue to be both part of Lebanon's parliament and an independent resistance movement? Will Lebanon become a modern, non-sectarian state or will the confessional order be further entrenched?
These and other vital questions are addressed in this collection of essays by internationally respected scholars and experts from around the world who examine the ethical, legal and strategic issues of the conflict, and analyze the consequences facing the region and the world in the wake of the Israeli invasion. Ultimately, the solution for Lebanon is intricately connected to the wider issues of the Middle East, including the right of the Palestinians to independence.
Contributors include: Rashid Khalidi ¥ Noam Chomsky ¥ Fawwaz Traboulsi ¥ Asa'd Abukhalil ¥ Lara Deeb ¥ Georges Corm ¥ Stephen Zunes ¥ Irene Gendzier ¥ Azmi Bishara ¥ Yitzhak Laor ¥ Rasha Salti ¥ Elias Khoury ¥ Ziad Majed ¥ Rami Khouri ¥ Assaf Kfoury ¥ Richard Falk ¥ Phyllis Bennis ¥ Haneen Sayed ¥ William Hartung ¥ Fred Halliday ¥ Nubar Hovsepian ¥ Ghassan Tueini ¥ and others