Quote:
Originally Posted by RAGNAR
But that was after a long tradition of us being there and doing nothing to help Lebanon fight the being that was undermining her efforts to modernize, namely, Iran.
We left, oh, Causeless One, without extracting an unforgettable price for the slaughter of American Marines. That error, and a whole collection of similar errors, is why our enemies are emboldened.
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It was a civil war, we were there from 1982 to 1984 as part of a multinational peace keeping force. I was there on October 23rd, 1983 when the two truck bombs hit our barracks and the French barracks (most folks forget the second truck). I was there digging the bodies out amid sniper and mortar attacks.
The French, BTW sent in an airstrike in retaliation; largely we did nothing because there was open dispute on who conducted the attack, then as now there is no clear proof.
As to the 'tradition'
Ike sent 15000 troops in in 1958 during the previous civil war, and when it settled down pulled them out a few months later.
The French had a much longer 'tradition' in Lebanon than did the U.S.
I agree with Ragnar, withdrawing in Feb 84 emboldened the terrorist based groups responsible (some dispute it, but I firmly believe it was Iran's surrogates in the then unannounced Hezbollah (Hezbollah when public in 1985)) and caused much of the ensuing grief and bloodshed we still see today.
Clinton pulling out of Somalia has had much the same effect there.
When you go in on a mission, you complete it, irregardless of whether or not the reason to go in was right in hindsight. As to Iraq, Hussien could have prevented a invasion by following the terms of the U.N. He choose not to because he (not the U.S.) misjudged the determination and political will power to clean his ass up.