The Burning Shores: Inside The Battle For The New Libya

The Burning Shores: Inside The Battle For The New Libya

A riveting, beautifully crafted account of Libya after Qadhafi.The death of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi freed Libya from forty-two years of despotic rule, raising hopes for a new era. But in the aftermath, the country descended into bitter rivalries and civil war, paving the way for the Islamic State and a catastrophic migrant crisis.In a fast-paced narrative that blends frontline reporting, analysis, and history, Frederic Wehrey tells the story of what went wrong. An Arabic-speaking Middle East scholar, Wehrey interviewed the key actors in Libya and paints vivid portraits of lives upended by a country in turmoil: the once-hopeful activists murdered or exiled, revolutionaries transformed into militia bosses or jihadist recruits, an aging general who promises salvation from the chaos in exchange for a return to the old authoritarianism. He traveled where few Westerners have gone, from the shattered city of Benghazi, birthplace of the revolution, to the lawless Sahara, to the coastal stronghold of the Islamic State in Qadhafi?s hometown of Sirt. He chronicles the American and international missteps after the dictator?s death that hastened the country?s unraveling. Written with bravura, based on daring reportage, and informed by deep knowledge, The Burning Shores is the definitive account of Libya?s fall. Review "The essential text on the country's disintegration . . . The last days of [Ambassador Chris Stevens], a humane and fearless diplomat, are vividly recounted." ?Dexter Filkins, New York Times Book Review"A deeply informed and reported account of the complex struggles for political control that followed the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 . . . Few writers I?ve encountered on this often bafflingly opaque scene succeed in bringing it so lucidly to life." ?Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books Daily?Impartial and engrossing, this is one of the few accessible introductions to the contours of a conflict that the West has chosen almost entirely to ignore.??Publishers Weekly"Solidly objective and nonpartisan . . . The Burning Shores is a must-read . . . [it] systematically unpacks the dizzying post-Qadhafi Libya." ?Francis Tapon, Forbes"Wehrey brings the eye of a military professional, a scholar, and a journalist to this vivid depiction of the Libyan conflict." ?John Waterbury, Foreign Affairs"The Burning Shores is an exceptional book. While a number of studies of the 17 February revolution have been published in recent years and several of them have described themselves as the ?definitive? study of the Libyan revolution, this is the best to appear so far. It is authoritative, informative, accessible and should stand the test of time." ?Ronald Bruce St John, International Affairs"With a lively and humane pen, [Wehrey] sketches the rough and sometimes dizzying path of this wealthy North African state with a small population . . . The Burning Shores avoids the abstract jargon of political scientists and the paternalism of sociologists . . . Remarkable for its accessibility and clarity." ?Jalel Harchaoui, Politique