Empire: World History 343. Lebanon: Hezbollah, Israel, & Fifty Years As A Battleground
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Mar 19, 2026 
Kim Ghattas, Lebanese journalist and author of Black Wave, offers a historical tour of Lebanon’s century of conflict. She traces Lebanon’s colonial map, foreign patrons, and Iran’s role after 1982. The conversation covers Hezbollah’s rise, Israel’s military moves and backchannels with Iran, and why diplomacy is crucial to break the cycle of violence.
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Living Through Evacuations In Beirut
- Kim Ghattas fled her Beirut home after evacuation orders and is staying in an Airbnb near Byblos while preparing travel for a teaching assignment.
- She highlights the stark privilege gap as hundreds of thousands sleep in crowded shelters while her dog and relative access shaped her choice to leave.
How Colonial Borders Shaped Lebanon's Loyalties
- Lebanon was carved by France after the Ottoman collapse into Greater Lebanon to include Maronites, Sunnis, Shias and Druze, creating built-in external allegiances.
- Over decades communities developed national identity but still often look outward: Christians to Europe/US, Sunnis to Saudi, Shias to Iran via Hezbollah.
1982 Invasion Unleashed Regional Blowback
- Israel's 1982 invasion, invited by some Christian factions, aimed to expel Palestinian guerrillas but escalated into a full Beirut siege and Sabra and Shatila massacre.
- Ariel Sharon expanded the campaign beyond intended buffer zones, producing long-term regional blowback and US entanglement.
