Description
Book SynopsisNo empire or a regional power has helped mold the socio-political and religious landscape of a country as the Ottoman Empire and its heir (the Republic of Turkey) have helped shape modern Lebanon. Although the history of Lebanon and Turkish foreign policy have been the focus of a number of studies, no contemporary study has examined Lebanon-Turkish relations back to Ottoman rule of Lebanon. As such, our understanding of this historic and contemporaneous relationship is deficient. This text sets out to fill this gap, examining patterns and shifts in Lebanon-Turkey relations within the context of regional and international politics from Ottoman rule to Turkey’s AKP-led governments.
This comprehensive account of Lebanon-Turkey relations, grounded in layers of cultural, political, demographic, economic, and sectarian complexities and changes across centuries, analyzes the developments and dynamics that have helped shape modern Lebanon and its confessional system and politics. It underscores the misconceptions and lessons learned from this long-term relationship, locating Lebanon-Turkish relations along a historical continuum.
Trade ReviewThis is a refreshing, lucid, and seasoned research-based analysis that is crucial to understanding a contemporary Eastern Mediterranean in the midst of roiling shifts, what some have called ‘the end of the Arab century.’ In particular, the chapter on the Great Famine on Mount-Lebanon is of special importance on many levels. This is an edifying book, deeply researched and well written, with clarity and deliberation yielding illumination.
-- Franck Salameh, Boston College
Well researched, chronicled, and argued, Dr. Rabil’s book stands out as a unique study, in so far as, to my knowledge, no other work has meticulously examined and scrutinized Lebanon’s relationship with Turkey since Ottoman rule. The book successfully weaves together the major developments, including the overlooked Great Famine, of this relationship that helped shape modern Lebanon and continues to highlight both the chronic failures of the country’s confessional system and the promise of better Lebanon-Turkey relations, against the backdrop of a fast-paced changing world order.
-- Joseph Alagha, Haigazian University
