Didn't know these threads existed. I'm not reading anything right now, but the last book I read was Hamas and Hezbollah: a Comparative Study by Joshua Gleis and Benedetta Berti.
Very interesting. It's much more honest and comprehensive than anything you'd find in the media and I'd recomend it as an introduction to the politics of the Middle East. The early sections provide context on the history and political systems of Lebanon and Palestine, so you don't need too much background knowlege to understand it.
I think there's a lot to learn about organizing from that book. These groups manage to combine electoralism, militiancy, and social services in service of a single goal. As a result, they've become durable, trusted centers of power in their own right. Hezbollah openly burned Lebanese flags and called for the destruction of the country, and still became a major national political force. That's the type of energy we need.
Still, it has limitations. Obviously they're not impartial. It seems the book was made for Western policy wonk types. It's also 9 years old, meaning ISIS and the Syrian Civil War are not covered.
Didn't know these threads existed. I'm not reading anything right now, but the last book I read was Hamas and Hezbollah: a Comparative Study by Joshua Gleis and Benedetta Berti.
Very interesting. It's much more honest and comprehensive than anything you'd find in the media and I'd recomend it as an introduction to the politics of the Middle East. The early sections provide context on the history and political systems of Lebanon and Palestine, so you don't need too much background knowlege to understand it.
I think there's a lot to learn about organizing from that book. These groups manage to combine electoralism, militiancy, and social services in service of a single goal. As a result, they've become durable, trusted centers of power in their own right. Hezbollah openly burned Lebanese flags and called for the destruction of the country, and still became a major national political force. That's the type of energy we need.
Still, it has limitations. Obviously they're not impartial. It seems the book was made for Western policy wonk types. It's also 9 years old, meaning ISIS and the Syrian Civil War are not covered.