Killing Mr Lebanon: The Assassination of Rafik Hariri and Its Impact on the Middle East

By Nicholas Blanford

Book Overview

On Valentine's Day 2005, former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri, nicknamed 'Mr Lebanon' for his local power and patronage, was killed by a massive explosion as he drove along the Beirut seafront. Ten weeks later, Syrian troops had withdrawn from Lebanon after an occupation of nearly thirty years. In this compelling book, Nicholas Blanford looks at how the murder of a businessman provoked such a seismic shift in Middle Eastern politics. He examines Hariri's past, inextricably linked with that of Lebanon, and uncovers a murky world of shifting alliances between businesses, security services, politicians and diplomats. Based on exclusive interviews with the key players in the Syrian, Lebanese and international arenas, Blanford traces the last weeks of Hariri's life, and reveals who and what stood to gain from his death. Gaining access to material never before made public, Blanford shows how right up until the morning of his assassination, Hariri was building up a unique political movement which would have upset the balance of power in Middle Eastern politics.
Larger than life figures emerge in this Shakespearean political drama: the wily Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, the much-feared head of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh and the young Syrian leader eager to stamp his authority, Bashar al-Assad. With Lebanon reeling from the explosion of regional tensions in the summer of 2006, Blanford traces the impact of the Hariri assassination on Hizbullah, Syria and Israel. Full of intrigue, shady characters and suspense, "Killing Mr Lebanon" is the definitive account of how Beirut became once again the flashpoint of the Middle East.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845112024
• ISBN13: 9781845112028
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent for experienced Lebanon watchers

Buy this book if you want to understand in detail what has happened in Lebanon in the last few years - those that bracket Hariri's rise and death. I have found that the praise of previous reviewers for the book, is fully deserved. On the other hand, if you are visiting Lebanon for the first time, or want to have a perspective on why this country has lived through such upheavals, you should read books that take a longer term or more fundamental perspective. This book tends to be very detailed, mentioning strings of names, and assuming that you have a background knowledge of the history of Lebanon, and Syria.

A convincing and extremely readable account

An excellent, timely, and fascinating treatment of current events in Lebanon, and the March 14 political movement. The genius of the book is helping the reader to understand the passion that Mr. Hariri evoked in the Lebanese people and abroad while still making clear his faults as a leader. It is a special thrill to have been introduced to various personalities in their own words throughout the book, and find them all in the news to this day.

Superb

This book is extremely well written and hard to put down once started. It is very informative both on the brutal murder of Rafik Hariri and the current political situation in Lebanon, including its relationship with Syria. Blanford covers a lot of detail overlooked by most standard media outlets which really helps the reader fill in the gaps surrounding this tragedy and what led up to it. A must read for anyone interested in the region. The Epilogue, in which Blanford discusses Israel's attack on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 was particularly interesting for me as I happened to be there through the duration of the siege. It is nice to come across quality reporting without the dilution and distortion of current events by US media.

An account by an energetic reporter

I knew Nick in Beirut as an energetic reporter always looking for big stories. His reports covered a wide array of issues including the Hizbullah-Israel war prior to 2000, interviews with Palestinian leadership in Lebanon, coverage of the post-Iraq war in 2003 and a lot of other issues. Nick has a keen eye to detail and a broad knowledge of the region. His book shows his talent as someone who digs for stories and gets inside info. I have been waiting for this book for a while, and once I got a grip of it, it did not disappoint me at all. I especially liked the theme of this book, Mr. Lebanon, which has been indeed a title the assassinated Lebanese Prime Minister strived to win. Blanford's book is well-researched with a number of interesting interviews, accurate background information and great style. Buy the book and read it, you'll see that it is money well spent.

Gripping, passionate account of Rafiq Hariri

Blanford's Killing Mr. Lebanon is a well-written and gripping account of the life of Rafiq Hariri and the aftermath of his assassination. It is also a fascinating look at Syria's iron-grip on Lebanon throughout the 1990s, and the politics between the two countries. The book opens with a dramatic account of the hours leading up to Hariri's assassination, and follows with an account of Hariri's early life and his initial foray into the treacherous world of Lebanese politics. The next section of the book focuses on Hariri's ups and downs in the political system, from his ambitious plan to rebuild Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war, and his years as Prime Minister which often brought him into conflict with the Syrian leadership. The last half of the book looks at the assassination of Hariri and the aftermath, the "Cedar Revolution", the UN investigation into Hariri's death, and the continuing Hizbullah-Israel conflict. Blanford's account and analysis of the March 14th coalition is particularly moving, showing just how large the image of Rafiq Hariri is in Lebanon. The book ends with a short epilogue describing the brutal Israeli campaign of destruction in Lebanon during the summer of 2006. Overall, Blanford's book is very well-written, gripping, and hard to put down. He has an excellent grasp of Lebanese politics, and much of the book is based on interviews with over 70 people - many who are high ranking politians in Lebanon (such as Fouad Siniora and Walid Jumblatt) or close to Hariri (such as his son Saad Hariri). This is an excellent book for anyone interested in modern Lebanese-Syrian relations, Rafiq Hariri, or the Middle East in general. Highly recommended.