Rafik hariri biography book
Rafiq Hariri and the Fate of Lebanon
About the Book
On Valentine’s Day Lebanon’s former prime minister and self-made billionaire Rafiq Hariri was assassinated by a massive bomb that destroyed his motorcade in Beirut. The Lebanese people protested throughout the country in response. The United Nations Security Council declared the assassination an international terrorist act with severe regional and international ramifications, and formed an International Independent Investigation Commission to uncover the perpetrators.
From his humble beginnings as a fruit picker, Hariri achieved his fame and fortune as a building magnate in Saudi Arabia. As Prime Minister of Lebanon for ten years, and , Hariri has been widely credited for the rebirth of Lebanon after the civil war, overseeing the rebuilding of 90 percent of the country’s infrastructure. His resignation in over the extension of President Lahoud’s mandate was viewed as a protest against Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs.
Mourned as a Lebanese martyr, his death triggered the mass demonstrations that led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces in April
Marwan Iskandar offers an in-depth perspective of the Hariri years, including a detailed look at the considerable economic reforms instituted under Hariri’s leadership. He shares explosive new information about scandals such as the al-Madina bank affair, and provides behind-the-scenes revelations about key figures in Lebanese finance and government.
About the Author
Marwan Iskandar is a distinguished economist whose work has been translated into numerous languages. He is the former Chief Editor of an-Nahar financial pages and a former advisor to Oman and Qatar. He also participated in committees advising Lebanese governments on economic crisis and recovery. He is the author of The Cloud Over Kuwait, The Golden Mirage, The Arab Oil Question and Social Security for Lebanon. He has also published numerous professional articles in Arabic, English and Fren
Citizen Hariri
Description
Rafiq Hariri was Lebanon’s Silvio Berlusconi: a ‘self-made’ billionaire who became prime minister and shaped postwar reconstruction. His assassination in February almost tipped the country into civil strife. Yet Hariri was neither a militia leader nor from a traditional political family. How did this outsider rise to wield such immense political and economic power?
Citizen Hariri shows how the billionaire converted his wealth and close ties to the Saudi monarchy into political power. Hariri is used as a prism to examine how changes in global neoliberalism reshaped Lebanese politics. He initiated urban megaprojects and inflated the banking sector. And having grown rich as a contractor in the Gulf, he turned Lebanon into an outlet for Gulf capital. The concentration of wealth and the restructuring of the postwar Lebanese state were comparable to the effects of neoliberalism elsewhere. But at the same time, Hariri was a deeply Lebanese figure. He had to fend against militia leaders and a hostile Syrian regime. The billionaire outsider eventually came to behave like a traditional Lebanese political patron.
Hannes Baumann not only assesses the personal legacy of the man dubbed ‘Mr Lebanon’ but charts the wider social and economic transformations his rise represented.
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. The rise of Rafiq Hariri: –
3. Reconstruction: –
4. Social crisis and Hariri’s sectarian turn: –
5. Return to political crisis and assassination: –
6. Conclusions
Reviews
‘An insightful study of the neoliberal “reconstruction” period, seen through the political biography of its central character. Combining a political economy perspective with a sound grasp of multidimensional political realities, Baumann brilliantly shows how Hariri adapted to Lebanon’s intricacies.’ — Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies & International Relations, School of Oriental and African Studies, London
‘Although colourful bus
Rafiq Hariri and the Fate of Lebanon
"The best book so far on Hariri and his legacy."--Robert Fisk
"Essential reading."--Fuad Siniora, prime minister of Lebanon
On Valentine's Day , self-made billionaire Rafiq Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister, was assassinated in Beirut by a massive bomb that destroyed his motorcade. The Lebanese people subsequently took to the streets, and the United Nations Security Council responded by declaring the assassination an international terrorist act with severe regional and international ramifications. An International Independent Investigation Commission was formed by the Security Council to uncover the perpetrators. Hariri was mourned as a Lebanese martyr, and his death triggered the protests that led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces in April of
From his humble beginnings as a fruit picker, Hariri achieved fame and fortune as a construction magnate in Saudi Arabia. As prime minister of Lebanon for ten years ( and ) he was widely credited for its rebirth after years of civil war, overseeing the rebuilding of 90 percent of the country's infrastructure. His resignation in over the extension of President Lahoud's mandate was viewed as a protest against Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs.
Marwan Iskandar offers an in-depth perspective of the Hariri years, including a detailed look at the considerable economic reforms instituted under Hariri's leadership.
.