The Charity of War: Famine, Humanitarian Aid, and World War I in the Middle East

With the exception of a few targeted aerial bombardments of the city's port, Beirut and Mount Lebanon did not see direct combat in World War I. No war, in its usual understanding, took place there, but Lebanon was incontestably war-stricken. Her local history reveals a dynamic politics of provisioning that was central to civilian experiences in the war, as well as to the Middle Eastern political landscape that emerged post-war. Melanie S. Tanielian examines the wartime famine's reverberations throughout the community: in Beirut's municipal institutions, in its philanthropic and religious organizations, in international agencies, and in the homes of the city's residents. Yet civilian casualties in this part of the Ottoman Empire reached shocking heights, possibly numbering half a million people. By tracing the

Tanielian is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Michigan. . Melanie S

Built on both a solid archival foundation and broad reading in famine and food insecurity, the book is a critical text in the emerging literature on the global history of humanitarian organizations, relief work, and development." (Keith David Watenpaugh University of California, Davis, and author of Bread from Stones: The Middle East and the Making of Modern Humanitarianism)"Deeply felt, thoughtfully considered, and impressively researched, The Charity of War places Beirut at the cutting edge of World War I history, alongside the local histories of wartime Paris, London, and Berlin. "Melanie S. With an eye for the telling anecdote and the skill of a social analyst, Melanie Tanielian brings the r