A course on conflict

Watching the outbreak of war in Beirut this month gave Harvard junior Jake Foley an education he never signed up for.

Foley had intended to spend the summer break in an intensive program in Arabic at the American University in Beirut. It was to have been a seven-week program.

A 2004 graduate of Lowell High School, Foley had been studying government and Arabic in college. He also was interested in Lebanon for a personal reason: His maternal grandparents both emigrated from there, and he was looking forward to spending time with his extended family and learning more about his background.

As it was, he was in Lebanon for 20 days. When news first spread that the terrorist organization Hezbollah had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, Foley didn't know what to make of it.

``I was surrounded by lots of local Lebanese people who thought it was no big deal, that it would blow over," Foley said. ``But the Americans thought it could cause problems down the road."

It caused problems almost immediately.

``The next day we found out [Israel] had started to bomb some Hezbollah targets at the airport," he said. ``Obviously parents at home and other international students were pretty shaken up about it, especially because it seemed like their strategy was to make sure no one could leave."

By the next night, bombs were falling in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Foley and other students were assured that they were in a safe section of the city. But they were also urged not to venture off campus.

In the short time he spent in Beirut, Foley had already developed a great affection for the city. He had heard that Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East, and it lived up to the hype.

``I've traveled a lot, and it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen," he said. ``During the civil war it was destroyed, but it looked like it really had become what it was in its heyday."

He also worried about the reaction of the Lebanese people he had befriended around campus.

``What made me sad was that a lot of the people we met were very progressive, but I think [the bombing has] turned a lot of people in favor of Hezbollah," Foley said. ``A lot of people who would have been in favor of disarming them are more in favor of them."

The Israelis are ``definitely not winning the hearts and minds of the Lebanese people. I'm afraid to see what will happen with people's attitudes."

He was lucky to get out of Lebanon as quickly as he did.

Through Harvard, he had insurance through a company called International SOS, which provides emergency medical care and other services for people traveling abroad. When necessary, it also arranges evacuations. Foley was among about 200 Americans the company evacuated from Beirut a week ago.

They were driven to the Syrian border, then taken by bus to Damascus. Then, by chartered flight, the group was taken to Cyprus. The operation took about a day and a half.

Foley left Beirut on about 15 minutes notice. No goodbyes to the people he had met. No time, for that matter, to gather his things. He wonders, especially, about his acquaintances from southern Lebanon, which has taken the brunt of the bombardment.

``When you see explosions on TV, it's very easy to forget these are families it's happening to," he said. ``In Lebanon especially, there is such a sense of community. It's so traumatic for so many people."

He hopes to return to Lebanon someday to continue his studies in Arabic. And, he said, he will always look at conflict on a human scale.

``I think whenever there's a conflict I'll feel sorry for people on both sides," he mused. ``It's everyday people who pay the price of these things. A lot of times countries tend to forget that."

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com.