... Page 9. For Ted and Mimi Page 10. The people are all charming to me. ... It had entered into a protracted correspondence with Sherif Hussein of Mecca, the Ottoman-appointed governor of the province of Hijaz in what is now Saudi... more
... Page 9. For Ted and Mimi Page 10. The people are all charming to me. ... It had entered into a protracted correspondence with Sherif Hussein of Mecca, the Ottoman-appointed governor of the province of Hijaz in what is now Saudi Arabia. ...
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... Page 9. For Ted and Mimi Page 10. The people are all charming to me. ... It had entered into a protracted correspondence with Sherif Hussein of Mecca, the Ottoman-appointed governor of the province of Hijaz in what is now Saudi... more
... Page 9. For Ted and Mimi Page 10. The people are all charming to me. ... It had entered into a protracted correspondence with Sherif Hussein of Mecca, the Ottoman-appointed governor of the province of Hijaz in what is now Saudi Arabia. ...
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Research Interests:
... With a degree from Harvard University Extension School and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University, Rabil went on to publish his first book, Embattled ... then, Rabil, who has been hired by Florida Atlantic University as a professor of Middle... more
... With a degree from Harvard University Extension School and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University, Rabil went on to publish his first book, Embattled ... then, Rabil, who has been hired by Florida Atlantic University as a professor of Middle East studies and the graduate director of the ...
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This monograph examines the backgrounds against which the shifts in Lebanon-Turkey relationship have taken place and the methodology with which Turkey has pursued its foreign policy towards Lebanon. In so doing, the monograph sheds light... more
This monograph examines the backgrounds against which the shifts in Lebanon-Turkey relationship have taken place and the methodology with which Turkey has pursued its foreign policy towards Lebanon. In so doing, the monograph sheds light on the scope and breadth of Turkish influence in Lebanon.
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Research Interests:
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This article explores the ideology of Fathi Yakan, the pioneer of Sunni Islamism in Lebanon and a principal founder of the Islamist party al-‐Jama'a al-‐Islamiya. It also traces the establishment of al_Jama'a as the first... more
This article explores the ideology of Fathi Yakan, the pioneer of Sunni Islamism in Lebanon and a principal founder of the Islamist party al-‐Jama'a al-‐Islamiya. It also traces the establishment of al_Jama'a as the first organized Islamist party in Lebanon. As Secretary General of al-‐Jama'a, Fathi Yakan blazed the ideological trail for Islamism's participation in Lebanon's political realm. Significantly, Yakan's political activism, in much the same vein as that of Druze "Socialist" Kamal Jumblat, was also more about removing Maronite hegemony over the state.
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This essay examines two Lebanese Islamist parties, Hezbollah and the Islamic Association, putting under scrutiny both their ideological transformations and the particular circumstances attendant to their later participation in... more
This essay examines two Lebanese Islamist parties, Hezbollah and the Islamic Association, putting under scrutiny both their ideological transformations and the particular circumstances attendant to their later participation in Lebanon's confessional political system. The article explores the ideological and political motives behind these parties' infitah (opening up) and lebanonization orientations, as expressed in their religious-political ideologies, political programs, and policies and visions in relation to Lebanon's confessional system. At the same time, this study probes the plausibility of the claim that Hezbollah’s relatively recent integration into the state may have been a venue for it to shed its Jihadi character and transition into a conventional political party.
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process of Lebanon’s collapse. Indeed, Stocker himself admits that he must conclude that the United States’ role in the process of self-destruction that engulfed Lebanon was marginal. The importance of Stocker’s book thus lies in two... more
process of Lebanon’s collapse. Indeed, Stocker himself admits that he must conclude that the United States’ role in the process of self-destruction that engulfed Lebanon was marginal. The importance of Stocker’s book thus lies in two areas: one, its description of how the process of Lebanon’s collapse was portrayed at the U.S. Department of State and in Washington in general, and two, its description of how American diplomats perceived Lebanon’s situation and the criticism they levelled against Washington’s attitude towards that country. At the same time, students of these issues should take into account the fact that the State Department was marginal in the decision-making process, because the President, the National Security Agency and the Pentagon had their own fish to fry.
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Research Interests:
This chapter examines the regional and domestic background against which the relationship between Syria and Hezbollah had transformed, and surveys the way in which Damascus dealt with other sectarian and political parties and groups... more
This chapter examines the regional and domestic background against which the relationship between Syria and Hezbollah had transformed, and surveys the way in which Damascus dealt with other sectarian and political parties and groups vis-a-vis the Islamist parties, especially Hezbollah. It explores Hezbollah’s transformation into a resilient political party and legitimization as a nationalist resistance movement, and probes communal and governmental reactions to Hezbollah’s rise to political and military preeminence. It also underscores Syrian occupation of Lebanon and its implication for Lebanon’s confessional politics.
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This chapter scrutinizes the project of Islamist parties in Lebanon on the basis of their political programs and manifestos, policies and visions, as it underscores the polished veneer of Islamism’s realpolitik and Machiavellian approach... more
This chapter scrutinizes the project of Islamist parties in Lebanon on the basis of their political programs and manifestos, policies and visions, as it underscores the polished veneer of Islamism’s realpolitik and Machiavellian approach to politics. At the same time, it examines this project within the context of Lebanon’s confessional system and inter- and intracommunal relations. It also probes the background of al-Jama’a’s tacit “holy alliance” with Hezbollah. Upon analysis and on the basis of a consistent pattern, it becomes clear that the Islamist project, as led by Hezbollah, is grounded in a bipolar world in which the Islamist party seeks an alternative to American cultural and political preeminence and a perpetual Jihad against Israel, concurrent and supported by Lebanon’s society and state.
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This chapter underscores the historical premise of Lebanon’s bifurcated and contested national identity. Partly mythical and partly constructed by the brush of Francophones, who aspired to connect the past glory of Phoenicia with a... more
This chapter underscores the historical premise of Lebanon’s bifurcated and contested national identity. Partly mythical and partly constructed by the brush of Francophones, who aspired to connect the past glory of Phoenicia with a Western outlook, Christian national identity clashed with a Muslim national identity that identified with the glory of Arab civilization and Arab nationalism. Domestic and regional considerations helped bring about a national readiness and resignation to reach a compromise on Lebanon’s national identity. A National Pact, undergirded by a confessional system, expressed the ideological and political underpinnings of this national identity, which remained in many ways elusive.
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This chapter describes Lebanon’s further descent into civil strife and war, and underscores the failed attempts at national reconciliation. It examines the sociopolitical and ideological context out of which the Shi’a Islamist party... more
This chapter describes Lebanon’s further descent into civil strife and war, and underscores the failed attempts at national reconciliation. It examines the sociopolitical and ideological context out of which the Shi’a Islamist party Hezbollah emerged and the ways in which the Party of God navigated the stormy waters of Lebanon’s civil war, against the background of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and Iran and Syria’s response to the invasion. It surveys Syria’s approach to the PLO and its alliance with anti-Syrian Islamists in Tripoli. It also contextualizes the creation of a framework of cooperation between Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the way in which this cooperation played out in relation to Lebanon’s communal groups and systems.
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This chapter emphasizes the precariousness of the Republic, and underscores the efforts to reform the political system as a means to strengthen national identity. However, these efforts failed as the struggle for Lebanon became torn... more
This chapter emphasizes the precariousness of the Republic, and underscores the efforts to reform the political system as a means to strengthen national identity. However, these efforts failed as the struggle for Lebanon became torn between a strident pan-Arabism, which embraced the Palestinian cause, and a besieged Lebanonism, which became fearfully obsessed with neutrality and maintaining the status quo. Led by the man of the left Kamal Jumblat, pan-Arabism was more about removing a regime dominated by political Maronitism. The National Pact and the state collapsed, propelling a utilitarian Syrian intervention to restore communal equilibrium and preclude an Israeli intercession with the Christians.
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This chapter scrutinizes the ideological transformation of the Islamist parties that justified their participation in Lebanon’s confessional system and politics. It explores the ideological and political motives of the Islamist parties’... more
This chapter scrutinizes the ideological transformation of the Islamist parties that justified their participation in Lebanon’s confessional system and politics. It explores the ideological and political motives of the Islamist parties’ Infitah (opening up) and Lebanonization, as expressed in their religious-political ideologies, political programs, policies, and visions, and surveys the communal responses to their Infitah and Lebanonization. At the same time, it probes the question as to whether Hezbollah’s integration into the state as a venue to shed its Jihadi character and to transition into a conventional political party is plausible. It also juxtaposes Hezbollah’s Infitah policy with Syrian policy in Lebanon.
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This chapter probes the political dynamics of the country following the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Beirut, against the background of dramatic repercussions of the 2003 Gulf War and American foreign policy in the Middle East,... more
This chapter probes the political dynamics of the country following the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Beirut, against the background of dramatic repercussions of the 2003 Gulf War and American foreign policy in the Middle East, especially vis-a-vis Damascus and Tehran. It traces the path leading to Hezbollah’s seizure of Beirut, whereas at the same time underscoring the causal factors of the heightened tension of political sectarianism and the charged political climate in the wake of the July 2006 war. It also examines the domestic and regional ramifications of the political fallout of Beirut’s surrender.
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In contrast to its sister organization in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria began by engaging in the politics of parliamentary democracy at the time of the country’s independence in 1946. This policy compelled the Brotherhood to... more
In contrast to its sister organization in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria began by engaging in the politics of parliamentary democracy at the time of the country’s independence in 1946. This policy compelled the Brotherhood to forego its Islamist agenda and pursue more or less a pragmatic policy. Syrian Ikhwan members contested in parliamentary elections, served in cabinets, and engaged in realpolitik. However, the ascension to power of the secular and Alawi-dominated Ba’th party posed a significant threat to the ideology and practice of the Brotherhood, which had already been affected by the political trend set by secular, socialist, and nationalist parties. In 1964, a Muslim Brotherhood insurgency erupted in Hama, which was swiftly put down by the incumbent regime. Yet, the regime failed to pay attention to the organization’s growing underground activity.
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This chapter explores the ideology of Fathi Yakan, the pioneer of Sunni Islamism in Lebanon and a principal founder of the Islamist party al-Jama’a al-Islamiya. It also traces the establishment of al-Jama’a as the first organized Islamist... more
This chapter explores the ideology of Fathi Yakan, the pioneer of Sunni Islamism in Lebanon and a principal founder of the Islamist party al-Jama’a al-Islamiya. It also traces the establishment of al-Jama’a as the first organized Islamist party in Lebanon. As secretary general of al-Jama’a, Fathi Yakan blazed the ideological trail for Islamism’s participation in Lebanon’s political realm. Significantly, Yakan’s political activism, in much the same vein as that of Kamal Jumblat, was also more concerned with removing Maronite hegemony over the state.
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Page 1. SYRIA, ISRAEL & LEBANON ROBERT G. RABIL Page 2. Page 3. EMBATTLED NEIGHBORS This One C10Y-J6E-QTJX Page 4. Page 5. EMBATTLED NEIGHBORS SYRIA, ISRAEL, AND LEBANON ROBERT G. RABIL BOULDER LONDON Page 6. ...
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Research Interests:
Using as its starting point the Gulf War (1990-91), this article examines the US-Israeli-Syrian triangular relationship to see what pattern or patterns emerge and what changes these patterns have produced in American foreign policy... more
Using as its starting point the Gulf War (1990-91), this article examines the US-Israeli-Syrian triangular relationship to see what pattern or patterns emerge and what changes these patterns have produced in American foreign policy towards the Middle East
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... sought to observe the rules governing Syria's relationship with Lebanon and Hezbollah, he enhanced Hezbollah's political status and power not only by receiving Nasrallah warmly in ... Jamil Sayyed,... more
... sought to observe the rules governing Syria's relationship with Lebanon and Hezbollah, he enhanced Hezbollah's political status and power not only by receiving Nasrallah warmly in ... Jamil Sayyed, the chief of the General Security Department (known as Sûreté General); Gen. ...