James R. Stocker
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781501700774
- eISBN:
- 9781501704154
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501700774.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
This book examines the history of diplomatic relations between the United States and Lebanon during a transformational period for Lebanon and a time of dynamic changes in U.S. policy toward the ...
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This book examines the history of diplomatic relations between the United States and Lebanon during a transformational period for Lebanon and a time of dynamic changes in U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Drawing on tens of thousands of pages of declassified materials from U.S. archives and a variety of Arabic and other non-English sources, the book provides a new interpretation of Lebanon's slide into civil war, as well as insight into the strategy behind U.S. diplomatic initiatives toward the Arab–Israeli conflict. During this period, the book argues that Lebanon was often a pawn in the games of larger powers. After a series of internal crises in 1969, 1970, and 1973, the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975. The conflict reached a temporary halt after a Syrian military intervention the following year, but this was only an end to the first stage of what would be a sixteen-year civil war. During these crises, the United States sought to help the Lebanese government in a variety of ways, including providing military aid to the Lebanese military, convincing Arab countries to take measures to help the Lebanese government, mediating Lebanon's relations with Israel, and even supporting certain militias.Less
This book examines the history of diplomatic relations between the United States and Lebanon during a transformational period for Lebanon and a time of dynamic changes in U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Drawing on tens of thousands of pages of declassified materials from U.S. archives and a variety of Arabic and other non-English sources, the book provides a new interpretation of Lebanon's slide into civil war, as well as insight into the strategy behind U.S. diplomatic initiatives toward the Arab–Israeli conflict. During this period, the book argues that Lebanon was often a pawn in the games of larger powers. After a series of internal crises in 1969, 1970, and 1973, the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975. The conflict reached a temporary halt after a Syrian military intervention the following year, but this was only an end to the first stage of what would be a sixteen-year civil war. During these crises, the United States sought to help the Lebanese government in a variety of ways, including providing military aid to the Lebanese military, convincing Arab countries to take measures to help the Lebanese government, mediating Lebanon's relations with Israel, and even supporting certain militias.
