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Title: The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences
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Manufacturer: Paradigm Publishers
List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $17.58
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| The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences by Paradigm Publishers Wait for a DECENT book on the subject | Just a few points:
The book is very short (81 pages not counting the conclusion, small trade paperback, font size looks like a 12).
The book uses phrases like "Zionist state" (page 14).
The book calls the IDF "Mercenaries" for Washington.
The book calls Hezbollah a "Lebanese resistance group" (page 56).
The conclusion is called "The Sinking Ship of U.S. Imperial Designs." Funny, I don't remember us sending troops...
The first 36 pages, almost one half, is used to explain the origins of conflict in Lebanon and more importantly how Hezbollah is NOT really a terrorist organization. The other 45 pages contain a litany of Israeli "war crimes," address various "unfair" UN resolutions, complaints about the blockade imposed by the Israelis and a general rant against the Global War on Terror and "colonialism."
What you won't find: More than a passing mention of the kidnapping of an IDF member which triggered the war. The routine use of houses as rocket launching sites (this book claims that the rockets were launched from "uninhabited areas"). Pro-Hezbollah propaganda which was exceedingly clumsy.
Don't waste your money. | | The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences by Paradigm Publishers Skewed analysis... | | Gilbert Achcar is so biased against Israel and the United States that he looks for any and every reason to blame the outbreak of the war on them. Some of the statements he makes in the book are just totally outrageous and obsurd. One important flaw he does miss is that Lebanon did not start a war with Israel, Hezbollah did, and Achcar seems to have missed this point. He also manages to overlook the fact that while Israeli military installations are built away from residential areas, Hezbollah's are built right inside them to ensure there is collatoral damage. He is very quick to condemn Israel for attacking civilians but once again fails to notice that Hezbollah is not shooting at IDF military posts, they are shooting rockets directly at Israeli cities, and Achcar seems to be ok with this. Overall, this is one of the most biased books I have ever read about the subject and do not recomend it to anyone. If you are looking for a good book about this area of study, try Augustus Richard Norton's Hezbollah. | | The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences by Paradigm Publishers Political Review of the 33 Day War | When I picked this book up, I was hoping for a chronological review of the war. This was not forth coming, and unfortunatly (as of 2007), a review of this war is not available anywhere in print, except possibly Wikipedia.
This book is a political review of the war. Why it started, the goals, outcomes and conclusions. The authors are blatantly pro-Hezbollah in their writing, and do not attempt to present the Israeli side of the war. I'm fine with that, but others may not find it palatable.
Overall, I learned a bit, but I do have to state, that I found some conclusions rather amateurish. I believe this book should be used as a side interlude or manual, in an overall study of the Political History of the MidEast. | | The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences by Paradigm Publishers Israel receiving heavy fire of criticism | Gilbert Achcar and Michel Warschawski's book, is very critical toward Israel and its policy and strategy and it doesn't hesitate to point out some very annoying and interesting facts regarding this country's relationship with the US. A poll of the 'Arab street' conducted after the war found that Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah was the most popular political figure in the region. The most unpopular figure, President Bush, had broadcast his private beliefs by mistake six days into the conflict. The US government was refusing to join the EU and UN in calling for a ceasefire, saying Israel must be allowed to root out the 'A-team of terrorists'. The degree of ignorance in Bush's formulation is made clear in this dry but penetrating book. The self-proclaimed pacifist academics (one from Lebanon, one from Israel) paint a picture of an exceptionally complex and politically fluid Lebanon, the most religiously and ethnically mixed country in the region, racked by a 15-year civil war (the book is mainly a political story of the 2006 war). Hezbollah was born in this period and became the force best equipped to resist Israel's occupation of the country's south, eventually driving them out in 2000. Although Hezbollah is funded by Iran and Syria and receives its armaments via the Syrian border, it is a broadly independent organisation which runs schools, hospitals and social services in south Lebanon and enjoys huge support there, not only among the Shias, Lebanon's largest sect. Hezbollah enjoys far greater autonomy and popular support than characterised in the neocon world view.
Looking at Israel, the authors draw the controversial conclusion that its recent military failings (although this is not a military history book and the reader who is looking for details of the tactics and the battles will be rather disappointed) and willingness to kill Lebanese civilians stem from the same source: a 'colonial' inability to respect their adversary. In former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's words, Israel is 'the modern and prosperous villa in the jungle' of the Middle East, and Israel now formulates its fight for survival as a battle of civilisation versus brutality. This concept is used to justify the apparent imbalance in the value of Arab and Israeli life, which, incidentally, cuts both ways. Hence 429 Hezbollah prisoners were exchanged for one kidnapped Israeli businessman in 2004 and in last summer's conflict, the civilian body count was 1,070 Lebanese and 43 Israelis. While Hezbollah leads the reconstruction effort in south Lebanon and digs a new set of fortifications, and Israel tops up on bunker-busters ready for the next round, this book makes it clear that the region's increased stock of fear is keeping no one safe.
| | The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences by Paradigm Publishers Short book | This book is about Israel's failure in its military and political objectives in Lebanon. The war strengthened Hezbollah, increased its credibility, and undermined the Lebanese government. The Israeli propaganda machine has even given up on spinning this war as a success.
Have you ever heard the term "Blowback", (a classic example).
| | The 33-Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences by Paradigm Publishers Product Description | Up to date through the events of October, 2006, this book assesses the causes and consequences of the impact on the recent Middle East war. The authors describe the popular basis of Hezbollah in Lebanon among the Shiites, but also its relation to the country's other religious communities and political forces. They analyze the regional roles of Syria, Iran, and Hamas as well as the politics of the United States and Europe.
The book dissects the strategic and political background behind recent actions taken by Israel; the impact of Israel's incursion into Lebanon and effects on Lebanon's population' and the consequences of the war on Israel polity and society. Throughout the years, Lebanon has confirmed its stance as Israel's vietnam: the last war provoked the most serious political earthquake that Israel ever experienced sinse the 1973 "Yom Kippur War." |
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