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30 Years Ago: When Reagan Cut and Run
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:20 am
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:20 am
LINK
quote:
Thirty years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan made perhaps the most purposeful and consequential foreign-policy decision of his presidency. Though he never said so explicitly, he ended America's military commitment to a strategic mistake that was peripheral to America's interests. Three-and-a-half months after the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel -- and after repeatedly pledging not to do so -- Reagan ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Lebanon. As Gen. Colin Powell later aptly summarized this military misadventure: "Beirut wasn't sensible and it never did serve a purpose. It was goofy from the beginning."
What was particularly remarkable about Reagan's bold decision was its rarity. Presidents often authorize using force or deploying troops to achieve some discrete set of political and military objectives. When they prove incapable of doing so with the initial resources and political support, the mission can be scaled back in its scope, enlarged to achieve additional missions, or, the atypical choice, terminated. The latter option requires having the ability to recognize failure, and political courage to end a U.S. military commitment. In large part, it is a combined lack of strategic awareness and political courage that explains many U.S. military disasters. . . . . .
Yet, just three days later, on Feb. 7, Reagan ordered the Marines to "redeploy" to their ships offshore -- which was actually a full withdrawal achieved in three weeks. Although the Marine's mission in Lebanon was not clearly defined and, subsequently, not achieved, Reagan's tacit admission of failure and withdrawal of the Marines from Lebanon limited America's further involvement in foreign-policy disaster -- saving money, lives, and time. Many pundits later claimed wrongly that Reagan was erroneous, because Osama bin Laden contended that the withdrawal was a sign of U.S. weakness; as if America's strategic choices should be held hostage to how terrorists choose to describe them.
U.S. officials and policymakers often share a long tradition of refusing to acknowledge strategic errors, or to place specific blame on individuals responsible for their authorization and execution. Rather, the causes of defeat are assigned to anonymous sources like "the bureaucracy," "lack of public will," or maybe "Congress." When serving or retired officials are asked whether a war or military intervention was a mistake, they often reply: "That's for historians to decide." Even then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said this when asked if Iraq was "worth it" just before he retired: "[I]t really requires a historian's perspective in terms of what happens here in the long term."
But historians do not make future policy decisions; they study and assess previous ones. Sending Marines to Lebanon for such an imprecise and unachievable end-state was a tremendous mistake. Reagan's decision to tacitly admit that it was a U.S. foreign-policy failure, and to then undertake corrective actions, was an admirable trait rarely seen in poilcymakers or presidents.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:23 am to trackfan
you are actually complimenting Reagan? I don't believe it.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:26 am to trackfan
quote:
trackfan
this will not end well.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:28 am to trackfan
It really was the beginning of a new type of warfare.
What twisted me off was the denial of military decorations for those involved, the Reagan Admin was embarassed but it never was clear if it was the administration or the military. I know the people that were there or QRF got their decorations years later.
What twisted me off was the denial of military decorations for those involved, the Reagan Admin was embarassed but it never was clear if it was the administration or the military. I know the people that were there or QRF got their decorations years later.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:33 am to trackfan
The original purpose was as peace keepers in the civil war there. So are we to believe that with all of your wisdom about the Middle East it was senseless to have sent troops into Lebanon?
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:35 am to trackfan
Clinton did it with Somalia and Republicans blasted him for it.
I think it was a good move, although it would have been better to have gone in one more time in force and wiped out the elements in Mogadishu causing the trouble in a show of force before we left.
I think it was a good move, although it would have been better to have gone in one more time in force and wiped out the elements in Mogadishu causing the trouble in a show of force before we left.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:48 am to trackfan
He didn't "cut and run", he merely re-deployed.
In order to counter the images of coffins of US Marines killed in Beirut, Reagan needed images of Marines hitting the beaches:
Literally two days after the Beirut bombing Reagan had marines on the beach on Grenada. So quickly, in fact, it was a fait accompli by the time Reagan had informed his closest ally, Margaret Thatcher, who had at first advised against it - until she realized it had already happened.
In order to counter the images of coffins of US Marines killed in Beirut, Reagan needed images of Marines hitting the beaches:
Literally two days after the Beirut bombing Reagan had marines on the beach on Grenada. So quickly, in fact, it was a fait accompli by the time Reagan had informed his closest ally, Margaret Thatcher, who had at first advised against it - until she realized it had already happened.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 10:57 am to trackfan
quote:
As Gen. Colin Powell later aptly summarized this military misadventure: "Beirut wasn't sensible and it never did serve a purpose. It was goofy from the beginning."
The fact that they quoted this complete affirmative action MORON tells you all you need to know about the piece.
Posted on 2/10/14 at 11:00 am to trackfan
This topic been previously posted at least twice before that I personally can recall.
It is likely that the OP has started a new thread on a topic that has been the feature of a new thread THREE previous times.
Isn't there a policy against this?
It is likely that the OP has started a new thread on a topic that has been the feature of a new thread THREE previous times.
Isn't there a policy against this?
This post was edited on 2/10/14 at 11:03 am
Posted on 2/10/14 at 11:02 am to trackfan
quote:
Sending Marines to Lebanon for such an imprecise and unachievable end-state was a tremendous mistake. Reagan's decision to tacitly admit that it was a U.S. foreign-policy failure, and to then undertake corrective actions, was an admirable trait rarely seen in poilcymakers or presidents.
I have no problem with that.
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