Shafeeq Ghabra

You rarely get excited about a new book on the Middle East, but there are exceptions.  The new book by Shafeeq Ghabra (that is his transliteration of his name, not mine) titled: Hayat Ghayr Aminah: Jil Al-Ahlam wa Al-Ikhfaqat (An Insecure Life: The Generation of Dreams and Setbacks) is one such exception.  By far, it is the best first-hand, inside view of the role of the PLO in the Lebanese civil war, and it provides a honest assessment of the relationship between the people of South Lebanon and the PLO organizations there.  It has not only interesting accounts and chronicles but it even has some new information and original insights.  It provides an inside view of the decision-making inside Fath movement.  Ghabra also tells the story of Katibat Al-Jarmaq, on which little is written because its heroes shunned the limelight and were in the "struggle" for the right reason.  You rarely for example read about the important role played at the time by Munir Shafiq.  That and much more are in this important book.  It is an important story, well-told and well-written although--as I told the author--I strongly disagree with his political conclusions.