The bombing of Lebanon is a continuation of its historical misery.
Lebanon as a state was doomed to failure from its creation in Aug 1920.
Lebanon was created by the French, with the cooperation of the British, despite the objections of the Syrian and Arab nationalists.
It was created purely to serve French interest. [p174 Sowing the Wind The seeds of conflict in the Middle East by John Keay, 2003 published].
This is sad as can be seen from this rich anthology of writings on Lebanon through writers’ eyes from antiquity to the 20th century.
The Hashemite Kings by Jan Morris published 1959 is an excellent history of the House of Beni Hashem, Grand Sharif of Mecca. Morris writes very well.
The Good Earth published 1931 won the Pulitzer prize. Pearl Buck lived in China her whole life as a daughter of American Christian missionaries.
In this novel, she traced the life of a poor peasant in 1920s China. The writing is simple and humane.