"Straddling the boundaries of politics and history, this book allows the reader to dig through the rubble of Lebanon's wars and learn exactly what has befallen it." "Farid el Khazen's book shows how Lebanon was led toward its fate by its neighbors, yet ultimately undid itself."--BOOK JACKET.

Pt. I : Introduction -- 1. Situating the Breakdown -- 2. The Shortcomings of the Lebanese System in the Pre-War Period: The Academic Debate ; Pt. II : The Political and Communal Scene in Pre-War Lebanon -- 3. The Uneven Communal Development of Lebanese Society -- 4. Varying Paths to Communal Za'ama: Maronite and Sunni -- 5. Communal Disparities and State Policies -- 6. The Age of Ideology and Mass Politics ; Pt. III : The Lebanese State and the Arab State System -- 7. State-Society Relations: Situating the Lebanese State -- 8. The Lebanese State and the Arab State System; Varying Paths to Power -- 9. The Porous Lebanese State and the Arab State System -- 10. PLO Defiance of State Authority: Jordan Versus Lebanon