"In this magisterial history of Lebanon, from the end of Ottoman rule to the Hizbullah and Hamas wars of today, David Hirst charts the intricate interplay between a uniquely complex country and its geopolitical environment through all the broad historical experiences of the modern Middle East. It covers the transition from Ottoman Turkish rule to European colonial domination, the loss of Palestine to the settler-state of Israel, and the wars and ceaseless violence that followed. Included in this list are the pan-Arab nationalist idea, the struggle for independence, the revolutionary seizures of power that is inspired, and the rise of fundamentalist Islam upon failure of nationalism which was the begetter of today's pre-eminent Hizbullah and Hamas. " (From the publisher)