Khalaf, Samir. Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon: a History of the Internationalization of Communal Conflict

Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), Summer, 2003

Khalaf, Samir. Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon: A History of the Internationalization of Communal Conflict. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2002. Hardcover $32.50.

This is a comparative work about the various episodes of communal violence in Lebanon from 1820 to the 1975-1992 civil war. Khalaf discusses the relationship between internal and external factors that led to conflict. He posits that Lebanon's inherent deficiencies, such as its "fragile confessional democracy," civility and such, made it "vulnerable to inter-Arab and superpower rivalries" (p. 1). The book is well researched and critical of much of the earlier literature about Lebanon. Khalaf argues that such writings either depict Lebanon as bent on "'self-destruction,' 'self-dismantling' ... [while other writers] dismiss Lebanon as a myth ... artificial entity, created from the outset on shaky and flimsy foundations and therefore doomed to self-destruction" (p. 152). He is of the opinion that such writings suffer because of their misunderstanding of the relationship between the internal and external factors that led to violence. He sides in a significant way with another set of writers who view the period from 1943-1975 "as a rather fortunate interlude, a testimony to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of its people" (p. 152).

In arguing his thesis, Khalaf presents evidence to show how civil strife transformed into uncivil violence and what can be done to rescue Lebanon from this tragedy. This is revisionist history that relies in important ways on the (social) psychological dimension of conflict relating to "displaced violence"(p. 12). It also celebrates economic liberalism and democracy as important dimensions of the Lebanese experience and in trying to transform the country in ways that would prevent the recurrence of uncivil violence. Despite its rigor, the work sometimes suffers from an ahistorical reading of history: neither a textual nor contextual political economic analysis exists in the work. Although, for instance, there is much discussion about the "dialectical" relationship between the internal and external dynamics, Khalaf gives the impression that Lebanon's interests would best be served, if the Arab dimension is not treated as en integral element in the life of the polity. Further, while Khalaf alludes to the elite and class dimensions in general, "class," remains tangential to his main arguments. This treatment prohibits en essential discovery of how Lebanon developed in ways that exacerbated "uncivil violence". Having said that, the work remains a valuable addition to the literature on Lebanon.