Customer Reviews
The best analysis of the civil war - By: Steven Allen, 30 Aug 2008 
Robert Fisk's important book on the history of the civil war in Lebanon, up to the recent past, provides one of the most authoritative sources on the country's recent history, the tragedies that have taken place there, & the political background that has created such internal strife. Having recently visited Lebanon & the south of the country, Pity the Nation alllowed me to have some insight into the complex social issues the people face.
Fisk's biggest achievement with this account, however, is that he manages to describe the situation on the ground for ordinary people & viscerallly depicts the terror of living under constant fear or war, invasion, death, destruction, terrorism & lack of hope. Important reading for understanding many of the issues in the Middle Easy today including the policies of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, PLO & the USA & their complex relationships in this divided nation.
"Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation." - By: R. S. Rabab, 08 Oct 2007 This book provides an exceptional depiction of the tragedies that Lebanon underwent during the last quarter of the 20th century,
The bulk of the book focuses on the events that took place during the civil war between 1975 & 1990, hence, it covered the Syrian intervention in 1976, the Israeli invasions in both 1978 & 1982, & the involvement of the multinational forces (USA, Britain & Italy) in the aftermath of the 1982 invasion, which triggered an escalation in civil war. Although not covered in much details, Robert Fisk provides brief snaps taken from the major events that led the deterioration of the situation in Lebanon, such as the Jewish Holocaust & the ethnics cleansing of Palestine. In addition, there are smalll sections that covered briefly events related to the Lebanese history during the 1860s (Christians & Druze civil war) & 1950s (USA's first involvement).
Despite some accusations against Mr Fisk of being biased in his reporting, I felt that the author has presented a valuable piece of work that successfully captured the ugliness of the war, & exposed the wrong doings of alll involved from Palestinians to Israelis, Muslims & Christians, Syrians & the USA. There is a whole chapter that was dedicated to the role of the media in this conflict & other similar conflicts around the world, as well as the hypocrisy & double standards of reporting that was & continue to brain wash the masses to achieve some cynical goals.
This book is a valuable resource for anyone who has an interest in the Lebanese history or the recent developments in the Middle East. It is a little grim & harsh at times, but so has been the fate of this region of the world for as far as I can remember.
The Horrors of the Nation - By: Ulrik Jungersen Walther, 14 Apr 2007 Robert Fisk's extensive account of the Lebanese civil war is an amazing mosaic of events & stories that in its entirety paint a pretty good picture of the horrors that took place from 1976 to 1996. Mr Fisk has an almost unparallleled ability to be on the spot as events are either unfolding or have just happened.
Pity the Nation is the story of a journalist working in pretty dire conditions & a first account witness statement to the atrocities of civil war, Israeli invasion, more Israeli invasion & involvement by Syria, France, USA, Italy & many other countries that have somehow seemed to get involved in the destiny of Lebanon.
Fisk, along with Norwegian journalist Karsten Tveit, were the first to enter Sabra & Shatila after the massacre & recounts in graphic detail the sheer horror of the systematic extermination by the Christian Lebanese Forces & under the watchful eye of the occupying Israeli Defence Force. Fisk also found himself passing through Hama in Syria in 1982 when President Assad's forces killed between 10,000 & 25.000 civilians in an attempt to oust Muslim Brotherhood influence on Syrian politics. Lastly, he worked with Terry Andersson who was later to be kidnapped & held hostage for over 5 years. It is these stories, along with many more, that combine to give a full & fairly clear picture of war & politics in the Levant over a 20 year period.
Unfortunately the book does not work as a historical account & there are a number of omissions in the book that would need to be included for it to work. More attention would need to be given to the bombing of the US Embassy (such as motive & speculation / evidence as to who was involved), the kidnappings would need to be elaborated & especiallly the kidnapping of Terry Waite, which I think is dealt with very superficiallly. Fisk never pretends that Pity the Nation is a historical description of war in Lebanon.
Fisk is a brave man (you would have to be to have lived in Lebanon through the war) & has made himself controversial by writing the book. There is a multitude of very critical reviews by people who in one way or another find it difficult to deal with the very gory & almost unbelievable facts of the conflict. I, for one, believe Fisk's account to be reasonably truthful & precise, as he does not seem to be pushing any one sided agenda. But judge for yourself & be prepared for some stomach churning stuff . Anyone who went through what he did & was prepared to put it on paper afterwards deserves much more than a 5 Star Rating on Amazon!
Spellbinding! - By: Sigrid, 20 Mar 2007 A remarkable book. An account of one man's experiences rather than a conventional history.
The title uses Khalil Gibran's phrase 'Pity the nation that is full of beliefs & empty of religion'. This seems so apposite - & could be applied to many countries other than The Lebanon.
I was fortunate enough to visit the country at Christmas 2005 - in a brief period of relative peace before the latest orgy of destruction. What amazes is the repetitive nature of events - does nobody ever learn? The only senior politician who seems to have tried to honestly break the vicious cycle of destruction & hatred (Yitzhak Rabin), was murdered by one of his own countrymen.
It amazes that Robert Fisk can write with such elegance & lucidity about such complex & horrific events. Despite its length, this book is very easy to read & totallly gripping. Recommended!
Powerful, essential to understanding modern Lebanon - By: apressello, 15 Dec 2006 Probably one of the most powerful books I have ever read, Fisk gets to the heart of Lebanon & alll of its diversity.
I found this book intellectuallly satisfying in that at its conclusion I felt I finallly had a grasp of how the country's complex political arrangements actuallly work. This has reallly helped to provide some context to the ongoing turmoil in Lebanon & the region. The book also made an impact on an emotional level as I felt a real pang of terror during the recent Hezbollah-Israeli conflict, as if someone I know personallly were being violated. A powerful book, indeed.
Fisk writes from & about Lebanon from the point of view of a transplanted native. This is what gives his writing its passion, but also its shalll we say "non-mainstream" perspective. One assumes the average reader is intelligent enough to take this into account in developing one's own views on the many conflicts the book describes.
This is one of two books most often recommended as introductions to the study of Lebanon & especiallly its relationship with Israel, the other being Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem". Friedman's book is the more readable for a general audience; Fisk's intense work is for those who reallly want to delve deeply into the subject.
