Reagan's Challenges

the Reagan years were extremely complex, in part, because of great confusion in the National Security Council and the State Department and in part, because there were many unique challenges to American hegemony. In his first year, President Reagan had to deal with a number of festering problems: a) the consolidation of Khomeini’s Islamic government in Iran; b) the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in 1979; c) warfare between Iraq and Iran, 1980-1988; d) the cross-border raids of Israeli and Palestinian forces in Lebanon, 1980-82 and their aftermath with the occupation by Israel of Southern Lebanon. Furthermore, the marked rise of terrorism added a new dimension, especially because many states, including Israel, Libya and Iran, appeared

presidencies that there could be no “strategic consensus” between Israel and moderate Arab regimes because Arabs looked upon Israel as their chief concern, not the Soviet Union. Likewise, Israel believed that Arab governments posed their greatest threat. Jordan sought serious defense weapons from the U.S. but turned to the Soviet Union when rebuffed. Israel also pushed new settlements in the West Bank after seizing the territory from Jordan in 1967. In recognition of the strategic importance of Saudi and Iraqi oil, the U.S. placed an umbrella of protection over Saudi territory and also favored Iraq in a war with Iran that lasted from

and 2- to set up a Maronite dominated state that would league closely with Israel and possibly cede to Israel the territory south of the Litani River. He might have added, the Palestinian refugee camps in Tyre and Sidon and elsewhere were also targets as they were subjected to sustained bombardment by the Israeli air force. Patrick Seale notes that the Palestinians should have resisted by guerrilla tactics, not by conventional forces that Israel easily outnumbered and outgunned. On Sunday, June 6th Israel ...“committed to battle a total of 76,000 men, 1250 tanks, and 1500 armored personnel carriers, supported by their air force and navy. In opposition, were regular Syrian and PLO forces under Major-General Sa‘d Bayraqdar of about 25,000 men, 300 tanks, and 300 Armored Personnel Carriers, together with some 15,000 PLO fighters….” Israel, according to its Foreign Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, also wished to have the Palestinians set up their own weakened state in Jordan where it could be dominated by Israel. Israel had assured Washington that the I.D.F. (Israeli Defense Forces) would only move 40 kilometers north of the border, but Sharon urged his army into the heart of Beirut causing thousands of casualties; moreover, the Israeli forces subjected West Beirut to nine weeks of bombardment. Israel also took the occasion of the invasion to strike a heavy blow