The 33 Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Aftermath

This book is a must read for anyone who is still under the delusion that the latest Israeli adventure in Lebanon during the summer of 2006 was to free a couple of their captured soldiers!

As well as giving the reader a detailed examination of the two sides directly involved in this conflict, the authors of this book (Gilbert Achcar, a Lebanese Lecturer and Michel Warschawski, an Israeli Journalist), have also provided some analysis of the influences that some third party sides had on the conflict, i.e. the role played the United States and its allies in blocking (for three weeks) any attempt at discussing a Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire, "one of the most dramatic cases of paralysis in the history of the sixty-one-year-old intergovernmental institution".

The first section of this book gives a brief introduction to some of the main events that shaped the Lebanese history, such as the Israeli occupation and the civil war. It also describes the stages that Hezbollah went though from its inception in 1982 as direct response to the Israeli invasion.

The second part is mainly concerned with Israel, and the goals that were set by the IDF before the offensive was launched against the Shiites populated areas in Lebanon. The authors then go on to explain the reasons for Israel's failure to achieve any of its aims and the effect that this has had on the Israeli government and society.

The book closes with an interesting section about the changing nature of modern warfare and the move into the "post-heroic" age, where the reliance on sophisticated weaponry is paramount. The adoption of such techniques has led to a dramatic increase in the civilian casualties both in Iraq and Lebanon as the result of the recent colonial expeditions by the USA and Israel; in what has been cleverly disguised as the `the global war on terror!'

Good analysis spoiled by clumsy terminology (1/3 people found this helpful)

This book is brilliant in analysis - granted. It is merciless in attacking the atrocities that were committed last summer and critically assessing the reasons why Israel did not win and the consequences for Lebanon (when you have a callous military staff in charge who still think that with enough brute force you can break the will of any non-state actor, of course you going to have a lot of blood on your hands). But like many authors who tackle issues in the Middle East, the degree of emotional commitment is hard to contain. That in itself is not necessarily a problem. I'm sure if I were in Haifa or Beirut, or anywhere else that was affected, I would not be cold and calculating in my historical documenting. Edward Said wouldn't have been Edward Said without his trademark zeal.

But having said that, Said's books did not employ clumsy and flippant terminology associated with cliched perceptions. The style of language in this book is worse than poor. It actually borders on the inflammatory. Words like 'US imperial design' and 'the Zionist state' are bandied around without much dissection of what they actually mean - these words denote political orientation and good historians should not reveal their denomination so blatantly. The book deviates badly and is reduced to a pointless exercise of 'US-bashing' to score some cheap points. The conclusion ends with an analysis on US meddling in the Middle East (why must a book about the Israel-Hizbollah war conclude with US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan - those two parts of the world have very little to do with the political impasse in Lebanon). Gilbert Achcar and Michel Warschawski have made an ambitious attempt to highlight the fruitless violence that cost the Lebanese and Israelis dearly, and they almost got it spot on. But the obsession with sticking two fingers at the US, and employing casual racism does not make this a gem in political writing. Something tells me it should be renamed 'excerpts from the Revolutionary Communist League manifesto' and that the cover should have Bush and a Hitler-esque moustache scrawled in on his face.

A Good Basic Introduction To This Recent Conflict (2/3 people found this helpful)

This book is one of the first attempts at analysis of the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war widely available. The short space of time in which it was inevitably written shows; it is very short for one and has the distinct sense of being a precurser to something much more substantial. In addition it is likely to date very quickly as the passage of time adds to the available context. On its own terms though it is highly useful as an introduction and offers useful analysis on some of the central themes of the conflict. The emphasis is very much on the Lebanese rather than Israeli experience and on the aftermath rather than the build up to the war. All in all a competent and informative 'first thoughts' on the conflict which offers an accessible way into the area for the general as well as academic reader.

The 33 Day War: Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Aftermath

Gilbert Achcar

Reader Reviews:

"Another error typical of colonial rule, repeated in Lebanon: just rely on the big stick" (1/2 people found this helpful)

Good analysis spoiled by clumsy terminology (1/3 people found this helpful)

A Good Basic Introduction To This Recent Conflict (2/3 people found this helpful)

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