Since the assassination of Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005, Lebanon has appeared to be in the throes of a permanent political upheaval. From the 'Cedar Revolution' in the immediate aftermath of Hariri's assassination, to the Israel-Hizbullah war in summer 2006, to the political paralysis that has taken hold of the country, the dizzying pace of events has overwhelmed the ability of even seasoned observers to keep up. In clear and accessible language, this book retraces and makes sense of the sequence of developments that have shaped the current situation. By shedding light on the calculations of domestic, regional, and international actors, and by analysing the interplay between internal and external influences, it illuminates a particularly turbulent two-and-a-half-year era which future historians are bound to see as a watershed in Lebanon's political history.

Author Biography

Guilain Denoeux is Professor of Government at Colby College (Maine, USA). He has monitored closely, written and commented on Lebanese affairs for over two decades. This book draws on the author's extensive fieldwork and interviews in Lebanon since 2005.