Word: gemayel
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OSTENSIBLY, the U.S. Marines were sent to Lebanon to stabilize internal conflict there sparked by the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the tenuous installation of the Gemayel government. So the realization that, on balance, the Marines' presence seems to heighten rather than diminish conflict within that country leads to a simple conclusion: they should be recalled...
Other critics of withdrawal argue that, while the Marines were ostensibly sent as a peacekeeping force, their true mission is to preserve U.S. strategic interests in the region--namely a democratic and pro-Western Gemayel government. But if this was the true Administrative intent behind the mission, it was not the basis on which Congress and, tacitly, the American public, sanctioned the stationing of Marines in Beirut...
...were stationed in Beirut not as a combat force, but in the reasonable hope that they could provide a neutral, stabilizing force in the vacuum created by the Israeli withdrawal. Sadly, they have failed in this task--largely because they are viewed by most Lebanese (and, most likely, the Gemayel government itself) as anything but neutral. In an already bulletridden nation, the Marines have become just another target...
...Matters probably would not get that far: the Administration has decided not to expend much more political capital defending its policy. Although Reagan publicly appears to be dug in on his Lebanese policy, advisers privately say that he is actively looking for an exit, even if it means abandoning Gemayel. Promised a top adviser: "If Don Rumsfeld comes back and says there is no way Gemayel can put everything together, Reagan will...
...security accord is approved, the President will have gained merely a little more time to study his options, not a full license to keep the Marines in Beirut through the election year. White House aides dismiss the possibility of a complete pullout right away, saying it would cause the Gemayel government to fall and lead to the permanent partitioning of Lebanon. At the same time, the aides are increasingly skeptical about the possibility of moving the troops away from the Beirut airport. To begin with, any redeployment would be discussed with Congress, which would only inflame the debate over whether...