Michael Totten—The Road to Fatima Gate

A foreign correspondent and foreign policy analyst, Michael Totten has reported from the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus; he writes regularly for Commentary magazine and Pajamas Media. His new book is The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Spring, the Rise of Hezbollah and the Iranian War against Israel.

"Lebanon in 2005, during the revolution against the Syrian military occupation in the country, looked and felt like an Arab version of Berlin in 1989 . . . as it turns out, it was more like Budapest in 1956," says Totten. He goes on to explain what went terribly wrong in Lebanon, once known as the Switzerland of the Mideast, beginning with its descent into chaos in the mid-'70s. He details Hezbollah's hold over Lebanon and the threat it poses to Israel. What is the solution in the Middle East? "Nobody has . . . nobody proposes a solution. Nobody even believes there is a solution. The very question is American."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• HooverInstitutionUK
• Middle East
• reporting
• news
• danger
• Muslims
• Sunni
• Shia
• Lebanon
• Iran
• Hezbollah
• Egypt
• Israel

[mikeboosh]

I respectfully disagree with Winston, I think you do a great job interviewing. You keep the guest on point and ask the questions I am thinking to myself while he's talking. I'd love to see you moderate a debate between a libertarian and a liberal on a specific topic, such as the housing bust.  More general topics would be interesting as well. Thanks.

[7beers]

@Winston2004 Completely disagree. Peter's interviews are my absolute favorite. Because of his research and structured approach, I end up learning far more from his interviews than anyone else's. And he absolutely lets his guests talk.

[Schwyndfst]

Priceless quotes:

08:35 “You’ve got atheist sunnis hating atheist shi’as”

09:51 “No one is really sure because there hasn’t been a census since the Thirties and everybody is afraid what the numbers are gonna say”

10:14 “Christians did not want to be ruled by muslims..and viceversa, so everybody had an interest in a weak state, so Lebanon became a sort of libertarian-ish country in the Middle East”

[promisedeyes]

Hezbollah is an evil organization and they will fail, the tide of civil liberty and freedom has been advancing for decades and cannot be stopped

[Halo4Lyf]

@xCUBITUSx If the Lebanese Christians have thrown in with Hezbollah, they'll die along with them.

[xCUBITUSx]

Michael Totten , the friend of the zionists and the Lebanese future movement is an ennemy of Lebanon. Your book is full of unproven statements and twisted facts.

You are NOT welcome in our country.

From a Lebanese Christian.

[fandyboy]

Great interview, thanks!

[slickleb]

michael totten talks alot of bull. there is no hezbollah 'state', they have security aparatus' and social initiatives, but no 'state' - the lebanese government still collects taxes, public schooling/healthcare, control the sewers etc. Hezbollah does not replace them. Your intellect regarding Lebanon is rudenmentary if not false. Im lebanese and i drink alcohol and party in Tyre, no hezbollah say anything, let alone detain anyone. you forgot 70% of christians and druze are now aligned with hezb.

[Winston2004]

Sir, you're a terrible interviewer. Let your guests TALK. Don't chase them with rounds and rounds of questions. I enjoy your guests though. Only if you talked less. thanks a lot