The Civil War in Lebanon: Sect, Class, and Imperialism

Abstract

In April 1975, a savage civil war suddenly exploded in Lebanon, "the only stable Arab democracy" in the Middle East, according to Western academics. During the following thirteen months an intermittent but devastating armed conflict has caused around 18,000 deaths, over 45,000 wounded, and more than $10 billion in property damage; it has dislocated and immiserated tens of thousands of people, and paralyzed and nearly destroyed a once thriving economy. Over the months as it spread throughout the country, Lebanon's civil war threatened to involve Syria, Israel, and other outside powers, leading perhaps to a fifth Arab-Israeli war.

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