Selected by Fred Rhodes

By Habib Boularés

Published in French by Librairie Académique Perrin

ISBN 2 262 01628 3 Price FF139

Hannibal epitomises, in western imagination, the war chief and the barbarian, the conquering hero and the invader from the other shores of the Mediterranean. However, that representation held by the ancient Romans and today’s Europeans, is far too much of a caricature to do justice to Hannibal.

Habib Boularés,Tunisian politician and writer, tells a different tale, the one of Hannibal the African, diplomat, skilled negotiator, and outstanding strategist, who between 219BC and 202BC, goes to war against the worldwide supremacy sought by Rome. By means of well-researched documentation and his story-telling talent, Habib Boularés describes the epic of the 50,000 Carthagenese, leaving Spain, crossing the Alps — with 37 elephants — before inflicting three notorious defeats on the Roman army and colonising the south of Italy for 15 years.

The story of Hannibal and the Carthagenese wars is also one of cultural exchanges, religious and artistic influences, in short a momentous step in the evolution of Mediterranean civilisation.

IRAQ UNDER SIEGE

The Deadly Impact of Sanctions and War

Edited by Anthony Arnove Published by Pluto Press

ISBN 0 7453 1660 3 price £35.00 hardback

ISBN 0 7453 1659 x price £10.99 paperback

For nearly a decade now, the Iraqi people have borne the hardship of life under harsh sanctions. More than one million people, many of them children under five, have died due to the sustained bombing attacks and the deprivation caused by the sanctions. Because the sanctions have prevented Iraq from importing basic necessities needed for medical treatment, easily preventable diseases have taken a devastating toll on the population. Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein and his ruling elite — the supposed target of the West’s campaign — remain unaffected. In this moving collection, leading voices against the sanctions document the human, environmental and social toll of the United States-led war against Iraq.

LEBANON

The Challenge of Independence

By EyaI Zisser Published by I.B.TAURIS

ISBN 1 86064 537 2 price £39.50 hardback

The first decade of independence (1943-1952) was crucial to the political history of Lebanon, following the creation of the state in 1920 and the subsequent years of French tutelage. This period is defined by the leadership of Bishara Al Khuri, the first elected president, a founding father who played a vital part in forming the distinctive character of the Lebanese state and in Lebanon’s later history, both rich and successful, and troubled and tragic.

During this period the old order in Lebanon, shaped over centuries, clashed with a ‘new order’, transforming Lebanese politics and society. Khuri’s task was to protect Lebanon’s fragile independence and to try to ensure political stability among warring factions — strife which in 1975 erupted in civil war causing immense disruption and suffering in Lebanon, and with a deep and widespread national and international effect.

Some see Khuri as a brilliant politician capable of finding the middle ground between the old and new order and thus laying the foundations for Lebanese independence and political stability. Others believe he had carried into the independence period all the defects of the traditional system — corruption, inefficiency and low standards of public service — which brought about his downfall and contributed to the civil war. The political structure of Lebanon was, however, more solid at the end of Khuri’s period of power than at the outset and, in spite of poor administration and the weakness of central government, Lebanon did indeed become a viable state

Lebanon: The Challenge of Independence draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources, including official state papers and private collections from Britain, France, the USA, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Notable among these sources are papers from the British Foreign Office and War Office, now held at the Public Record Office, the Beirut High Commission and the Central Zionist archives.

THE ART of PALESTINIAN EMBROIDERY

By Leila El Khalidi published by Saqi Books

ISBN 0 86356 038 5 price £15.95 paperback

ISBN 0 86356 323 6 price £22.95 hardback

The Palestinian folk arts have a rich and fascinating history. Silk thread and embroidery, together with an expanding repertoire of symbols, are known to have made their way from China to the Holy Land along the silk and spice routes before being introduced to Europe by Christian saints, holy men and pilgrims.

Mainly using cross-stitch, Palestinians have continued to embroider their traditional motifs, giving them their own appellations and developing their own terminology. As clothing was of prime importance, Palestinian women wanted something personal, distinctive and handmade. By adopting the traditional styles and motifs of her area, a woman expressed her wish to identify and be identified with her cultural roots. Samples of late-19th to early-20th century Palestinian costumes are considered to be representative of folk art at its best.

Through the vicissitudes of war and occupation, Palestinian folk materials have been dispersed, though samples are to be found in published material, in museums outside Palestine and in small private collections. Leila El Khalidi’s work in identifying and recording the history and motifs in Palestinian embroidery will be of interest both to craftspeople and to students of folk traditions and is an important step in preserving the Palestinian heritage. The book is illustrated with a detailed appendix showing the principal motifs and with photographs of traditional costumes.

WAR, POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN AFGHANISTAN, 1978-1992

By Antonio Giustozzi published by C Hurst & Co

ISBN 1 85065 396 8 price £45.00 hardback

This book is about Afghanistan under the rule of the People’s Democratic Party (PDPA) and, unlike nearly all other works relating to Afghanistan during this period, it focuses explicitly on the regime, its institutions and its successes and failures rather than on the resistance to it or on the international dimensions of the conflict in Afghanistan. It is based mainly on recently available Soviet material including unpublished Red Army documents together with monographs, memoirs and articles in several European languages and some interviews with participants.

Much of this material has not hitherto been used by western writers and the work therefore contains a great deal of valuable, new information, relating especially to the structure and development of the PDPA, the development of its armed forces and especially its use of tribal militias, and the way in which it implemented policies intended to pacify Afghanistan, notably the so-called national reconciliation policy. A novel picture emerges of a regime which floundered badly in its early years but which steadily developed more realistic policies to mobilise resources and find a mixed political and military solution to its problems. In this endeavour the author argues that it came near to some sort of success by the 1990s but was defeated when, denied resources in 1991-2, the militias on which it had come to rely so heavily fell apart or abandoned the regime to make their own arrangements with the resistance.

This analysis constitutes a new way of looking at what happened in Afghanistan and helps considerably in understanding the difficulties which have beset the country in the last few years.

ARAB BANKING and FINANCE 2000

16th edition published by TELE-GULF Directory Publications WLL Price $79.00

During 1999 the world witnessed a sharp decline in the financial markets, currency fluctuations, a slump in oil prices, the creation of the Euro currency, the increasing influence of the Internet and the dawn of globalisation consequent to the WTO-led new order in commodity trading and services worldwide.

The Internet has revolutionised the business world and in order to become part of the worldwide web, the Arab countries have to catch up fast. Electronic commerce and the usage of Internet requires a sophisticated telecommunications network, expansion in credit card use and a wide spread of personal computers.

The time has come for Arab banks to look beyond their own borders and seek a bigger share in other markets in the Middle East. In order to confront impending challenges in the new millennium, the Arab banks will have to restructure and adapt quickly to fast-changing developments.

The best choice for Arab banks after globalisation is to merge and become stronger. During the past five years, there have been 11 mergers between Arab banks. In order to stand up to the strengthening competition from European and American banks, more such mergers are needed.

Arab Banking and Finance, which is in its 16th edition, has played a significant role in the progress of the region’s banks and related financial institutions through its efforts to bridge the information gap in this specialised area. It has helped, in this process, to create better understanding among Arab banks and also between Arab banks and the non-Arab international banks.

UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST

Edited by Deborah J Gerner published by Lynne Rienner Publishers

ISBN 1 55587 706 0 price £40.95 hardback

ISBN 1 55587 725 7 price £16.50 paperback

Understanding the Contemporary Middle East draws on the expertise of more than a dozen scholars to create a truly interdisciplinary text that is up-to-date and student-friendly. Individual chapters introduce the key themes, controversies, and research within geography, history, economics, demography, politics, international relations, sociology, anthropology, gender studies, conflict resolution, religion, and literature. Although each chapter is intended to stand on its own, the various authors have consciously attempted to integrate their discussion so that the book functions as a unified entity.

It confronts directly the stereotypes that students often have about the Middle East and introduces one of the themes that is woven throughout this volume: the interaction between the ancient and the modern that is so much a part of the region.

It presents several crucial challenges facing the region in the 21st century: determination of the appropriate role of religion and culture in state-society relations; the need for increased economic development; the historical legacy of colonialism and the conflicts that have arisen in its aftermath; and the widespread grassroots demand for increased political accountability.

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