COS COB, Conn., January 21, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- According to author Oliver James, by the mid-1980s, having endured ten years of civil war, Lebanon found itself in the midst of a struggle for power and domination by the myriad of militia groups born during the chaos and instability of the time; desperation for international recognition and for political leverage led several of the Iranian-backed militias to seize American and other Western hostages.
"Prisoners of Circumstance" by James (now available through 1stBooks Library) is a novel set in the turmoil of this period. It reflects on the kidnapping of men whose only crime was the accident of birth. It deals with the interaction of the hostages with their captors; the initiatives of their wives to focus international attention on their plight; and finally, on a CIA-led effort to forcibly secure their release.
Assigned newly to the Embassy in Beirut as the CIA station chief, George Kowalski's task became to plan, sell and execute a daring rescue of the hostages. Drawing from the elite units of all branches of the military, a 'dream team' is assembled to launch the rescue mission; a mission fraught with surprising and unexpected twists.
The characters in the book are fictitious, but the historical and geographical references are accurate. Through dialogue between the characters, the author describes the motivations behind the actions of the various parties involved in the Middle East conflict; a conflict that has persisted for over 50 years and has defied resolution to this day.
Oliver James is a native of Kentucky, currently residing in Cos Cob, Connecticut. He received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and advanced degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and M.I.T.
In his working career he has resided in New York, Beirut, London, Riyadh, Brussels and Mexico City. As Chief Executive Officer of several overseas companies and holder of senior positions with outside commercial and charitable organizations, he has had occasion to meet and befriend a broad spectrum of senior businessmen and prominent government officials in the United States and in those countries where he has resided.
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