Not On Our Watch

A Memoir by Guy Paul Nohra

A fifteen-year-old takes up arms in the Lebanese Civil War. Decades later, that same man watches the country that saved his life begin to fracture — and refuses to stay silent.

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A war story. An American story.
An urgent warning.

In 1975, Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East — a cosmopolitan, pluralistic democracy that seemed to have solved the riddle of coexistence. Within a year, it had become a war zone. Guy Paul Nohra was fifteen years old when he picked up a rifle to defend his neighborhood.

Decades later, Nohra is a venture capitalist, a Forbes Midas List honoree, a husband and father — and a deeply worried American. In Not On Our Watch, he draws a sober, unflinching line between what he witnessed in Lebanon and what he sees emerging in the United States today: the erosion of institutions, the collapse of civic trust, the weaponization of identity.

This is not a partisan book. It is a survivor’s testimony — and a call to action for anyone who believes democracy is worth defending.

Key Themes

Beirut Before the War

Lebanon, 1970–1974 · What a functioning democracy looks like — and how fast it can end

Fifteen Years Old With a Rifle

Beirut, 1975–1976 · The civil war begins. A boy becomes a soldier.

America Saved My Life

San Francisco, 1980s · Starting over. Building a life. Falling in love with a country.

The Venture Years

Silicon Valley, 1990s–2000s · Alta Partners, biotech, and the Forbes Midas List

I've Seen This Before

America, 2015–Present · The parallels no one wants to draw — but someone must

Not On Our Watch

What we owe each other — and what it costs to pay that debt

"I watched Lebanon go from a thriving democracy to a failed state in the span of one childhood. I am not going to watch it happen to my adopted country without saying something."

— Guy Paul Nohra, Not On Our Watch

Guy Paul Nohra

Author • Venture Capitalist • Civic Voice

A voice grounded in experience,
not outrage.

Guy Paul Nohra is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, and media contributor with more than 30 years of experience in business, innovation, and public service.

A co-founder of Alta Partners, a leading life sciences venture capital firm, GPN helped fund more than 150 healthcare companies since 1996 — representing over $2 billion in investments across eight funds. He was named to the Forbes Midas List in 2007.

A former GOP gubernatorial candidate for Nevada, he brings a disciplined, common-sense perspective shaped by real-world leadership and a childhood spent surviving a civil war. He is the host of In Layman’s Terms with Guy Paul Nohra.

Invested across 8 venture funds​
$ 2 B+
Healthcare companies funded
1 +
Forbes Midas
List
2000
Years in business & public life
1 +

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