Country knocked back in great lamentations (5)
I believe the answer is:
malta
'country' is the definition.
(I know that Malta is a country)
'knocked back in great lamentations' is the wordplay.
'knocked back' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'atlam' is hidden in the letters of 'great lamentations'.
'atlam' back-to-front is 'MALTA'.
(Other definitions for malta that I've seen before include "seagirt republic" , "A Med. island" , "The capital is Valetta" , "Island European country" , "GC island" .)