Pity the Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon

Middle East correspondent for the London Times from 1976 until '87, Fisk has written a passionate and often angry book describing how Lebanon ``humiliated the West, brought shame upon Israel, corrupted the Syrians, and destroyed itself.'' In this detailed chronicle of massacre and counter-massacre, Fisk also recounts the amoeba-like proliferation of political factions, the 1982 Israeli invasion, the efforts of the multinational peace-keeping force, the bombings of embassies and military headquarters, and the assassination and abduction of Westerners. His scorn for U.S. policy in Lebanon is mild compared with his views on Israel's, especially the brutal behavior of the Israel Defense Force during the occupation. He provides evidence to support the theory that the IDF sent (rather than allowed) Christian Phalangist militiamen into the Sabra/Chatila refugee camps to murder hundreds of Palestinian civilians. In the end he pronounces Lebanon ``a place without hope.'' Currently a correspondent for the Independent , Fisk is one of only two foreign journalists based in Beirut. His book should be read by everyone interested in the Middle East. History Book Club alternate. (Dec.)