{"product_id":"killing-mr-lebanon-the-assassination-of-rafik-hariri-and-its-impact-on-the-middle-east-9781845112028","title":"Killing Mr. Lebanon: The Assassination of Rafik Hariri and its Impact on the Middle East","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn Valentines Day 2005  former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri  nicknamed Mr Lebanon for his local power and patronage  was killed by a massive explosion as he drove along the Beirut seafront. Ten weeks later  Syrian troops had withdrawn from Lebanon after an occupation of nearly thirty years. In this compelling book  Nicholas Blanford looks at how the murder of a businessman provoked such a seismic shift in Middle Eastern politics. He examines Hariris past  inextricably linked with that of Lebanon  and uncovers a murky world of shifting alliances between businesses  security services  politicians and diplomats. Based on exclusive interviews with the key players in the Syrian  Lebanese and international arenas  Blanford traces the last weeks of Hariris life  and reveals who and what stood to gain from his death. Gaining access to material never before made public  Blanford shows how right up until the morning of his assassination  Hariri was building up a unique political movement which would have upset the balance of power in Middle Eastern politics. Larger than life figures emerge in this Shakespearean political drama: the wily Druze leader  Walid Jumblatt  the much-feared head of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon  Rustom Ghazaleh and the young Syrian leader eager to stamp his authority  Bashar al-Assad. With Lebanon reeling from the explosion of regional tensions in the summer of 2006  Blanford traces the impact of the Hariri assassination on Hizbullah  Syria and Israel. Full of intrigue  shady characters and suspense  \"Killing Mr Lebanon\" is the definitive account of how Beirut became once again the flashpoint of the Middle East.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45118148837429,"sku":"ByrdShop_1845112024","price":28.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781845112028.jpg?v=1781682150","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/killing-mr-lebanon-the-assassination-of-rafik-hariri-and-its-impact-on-the-middle-east-9781845112028","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}