Lebanon Foreign Relations Essay Research Paper Lebanon

Lebanon Foreign Relations Essay, Research Paper

Lebanon s Foreign Policy and Neighborly Relations Lebanon’s foreign policy reflects its geographic location, the composition of its population, and its reliance on commerce and trade. Lebanon hopes to reestablish good ties with Western countries and in the Middle East as it once did during the first thirty years of its independence. Today, Lebanon remains friendly with Western countries and Syria, which maintains forces throughout parts of Lebanon, also heavily influences its foreign policy.Contemporary Lebanon is a prosperous liberal country that is very unique in the third world. After its independence of 1943, Lebanon was considered a complete society. Its strategic Middle Eastern location and relatively stable government made it a major trade and financial center. During the first three decades of Lebanon s independence, the one main feature of its foreign policy was its friendly relations with its neighboring countries; Syria, Israel and Iran. Today, it is a country recovering from the aftermath of civil wars. Overall, Lebanon has undergone a long and hostile history, but has always followed a delicately balanced policy with its neighbors and major powers.Two flaws have damaged Lebanon s chance for lasting peace. The first cause for conflict was the unbalanced power-sharing arrangement. Control rested with the right-wing Christian part of the population while the Muslims, who made up 50% of the population, were excluded from real government. A second problem arose as Lebanon was gradually drawn into the Arab-Israeli conflict. Although the country did not participate militarily, Palestinian Muslim refugees flooded into the country and continued their attacks on Israel from Lebanese bases.In 1975 all-out civil war broke out between the Muslim coalition allied with Palestinian groups and the Christian militias. In addition, in 1976, a cease-fire was forced upon the two sides when Syrian military forces intervened at the request of the Lebanese president, Suleiman Franjieh. Nevertheless, violence did continue and in 1978 Israel invaded southern Lebanon attempting to eliminate Palestinian bases. Withdrawing three months later after a United Nations peacekeeping force was sent to the area, they reinvaded in 1982, occupying Beirut and forcing the PLO to evacuate its headquarters. For seven weeks the Israelis bombed the Muslim half of Beirut by air, sea and land.After the assassination of president-elect Bashir Gemayel, Israeli-backed Christian militias were still fighting with the Palestinians. A year later Israeli troops withdrew to southern Lebanon. Fighting then broke out between Lebanon’s Christian and Druze militias, and terrorist attacks, by the Palestinians, on the multinational force including the US marine headquarters at Beirut airport. After 300 US and French troops were killed in 1983, the Western forces pulled out. Fighting still persisted and Westerners in Beirut became the targets of Shiite Muslims from Iran. With the help of the Syrians, the Lebanese army took control of Beirut and by 1992 under pressure from Iran and the US, all the foreign hostages captured several years earlier were finally released.During the 1975 Civil War, the central government was only one of many domestic actors involved in the making of foreign policy. It shared this role with the various alliances and militias that were formed. The government, combined with the other militia s worked together to make foreign policy. Combined, they had an official role in foreign policy decisions. In the late 1970s and the 1980s, Syria, Israel, the Palestinians and Iran also seized foreign-policy-making roles, although the first two were the most influential.At one point in time, Syria and Lebanon (as well as some other countries) were considered one territory called “Greater Syria.” In 1920, while under the French mandate, Lebanon was separated from the larger state. This is why Lebanon and Syria have had strong bonds in recent years. Following World War II, after both had become independent, they shared a common currency and customs. Moreover, the two had always been active trading partners, and when political disputes arose, each country often used economic ways to pressure the other.In the 1950s and 1960s, Syria was battling its own internal problems and was unable to focus on Lebanon’s domestic problems. In the late 1960s the rise of Palestinian guerrilla activity in southern Lebanon contributed to tense relations with Syria. Since the Syrian government was hesitant to permit guerrilla attacks to originate from Syrian soil (fearing Israeli revenge), it was preferable to see such activity occur in southern Lebanon. Consequently, in 1973, when the Lebanese Army finally engaged in fighting against the Palestinians, Syria closed its borders in protest.Since the 1975 Civil War, Syrian involvement in Lebanon has been essential. First of all, the regime of President Hafiz al Assad has opposed the permanent fragmentation of Lebanon, fearing that the creation of a mini Maronite state would lead to the establishment of “another Israel.” Israel is an “all Jewish” state, without any other diversity in it, and Lebanon would have been very similar to Israel and their policy decisions, except favorable for the Maronites. On the other hand, Syria has opposed the formation of a left-wing state on its western border. Since Syria had to deal with its own Muslim fundamentalist r