Robert Rabil s Religion, National Identity and Confessional Politics in Lebanon: The Challenge of Islamism offers readers an extremely timely appraisal of Islamist movements in Lebanon.Relying on Arabic, French, and English sources as well as his own interviews with Lebanese elites, Rabil navigates the complex political history of Lebanon to form an unflinching, candid, and objective analysis of Lebanon s past, present, and future.The book will prove especially useful for anyone interested in understanding how and why Hezballah, the Shiite 'Party of God,' came to play such a determinative role in Lebanese politics.Rabil s work clearly explains why other Lebanese never managed to disarm Hezballah and place it under the authority of the Lebanese state.Instead of seeing itself disarmed, Hezballah managed to determine the fate of the whole Lebanese nation - bringing down governments, facilitating Syrian and Iranian penetration of the country, and sparking devastating Israeli attacks. Readers will also understand why Hezballah s role seems unlikely to wane any time soon, especially in light of the myriad divisions amongst those Lebanese opposing the movement. - David Romano, Thomas G. Strong Professor of Middle East Politics, Missouri State University and author, The Kurdish Nationalist Movement (2006)
Robert G. Rabil s Religion, National Identity, and Confessional Politics in Lebanon is the most comprehensive, up-to-date comparative book on Hezbollah and the Islamic Association. It includes new revelations and insightful, sharp analyses based on a thorough reading of primary sources and key documents, some of which are translated in full with adequate footnoting and commentary. Rabil offers invaluable background information on the modern history of Lebanon and the workings of its political system. The book is breathtaking, easy to read, brief, straight to the point, enlightening, and revealing to both academics and policy makers. - Joseph Alagha, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen