Book excerpt: The Shi'a of Lebanon have emerged in the last 20 years to become a major force in Lebanese politics, having long been a marginalised political community. Rodger Shanahan's book examines the reasons behind this transformation from a largely rural population dominated by a handful of elite families, to an assertive sectarian force whose new found power is exemplified by the emergence of Shi'a parties such as Amal and Hizballah. In this highly useful and timely study Rodger Shanahan explores the development of the Shi'a community from the imposition of French mandatory rule, through independence and the bloody civil war to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from South Lebanon in 2000.