The authors describe the popular basis of Hezbollah in Lebanon amoung the Shites, and its relation to the country's other religious communities and political forces. They analyze the regional roles of Syria, Iran and Hamas, as well as the politics of the US and Europe.

They then dissect the strategic and political background behind recent actions taken by Israel: the impact of Israel's incursion into Lebanon and its effects on Lebanon's population; and the consequences of the war on Israeli policy and society.

REVIEWS:
«A crisp and timely analysis that arranges well-documented facts and synthesizes the region's extremely complex problems in such a way that even readers who are only moderately familiar with the situation can understand.» The Daily Star, Beirut

AUTHOR BIO:
Gilbert Achcar lived in Lebanon for many years before moving to France, where he teaches international politics at the University of Paris. He is the author of Clash of Barbarisms: The Making of the New World Disorder (Saqi) and co-author, with Noam Chomsky, of Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy. Michel Warschawski, a veteran journalist and peace activist, founded the Alternative Information Center in Jerusalem, a Palestinian-Israeli news organization that disseminates information, research and political analysis on Palestinian and Israeli societies.