Terrorist Attack on the U.S.: Beirut, 1983

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the attack on the U.S. Marines in Beirut in 1983 that would begin a new era of terrorism. The author provides a detailed description of the historical and political background of this event as well as related attacks on U.S citizens in the Middle East. The author describes terrorist organizations and other threats to the U.S. in the area and the decisions made by the U.S. to counter them while protecting the Marines at the same time. The author theorizes what may have happened had either Harry S. Truman or George W. Bush been president at the time of the attack, and concludes that this episode in American history serves as a learning tool for future administrations, in how to balance the immediate needs of safety for our troops and the long-term needs of safety for the nation's democracy.

Outline:
Introduction
Factual Summary of Events
Deliberation and Debate Within the United States Government
The Threat
U.S. Responses
Comparative Analysis
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut would place the United States between a rock and a hard place. If they continued with the peacekeeping strategy that had brought them to Lebanon, they were surely to be targeted again. If they left the area, they would be abandoning some of their best allies. And, if they stepped up their position and waged war on those responsible, they might negatively affect other tenuous relationships in the Middle East, while increasing the danger for their troops. In the end, it would be a decision that would be heavily debated and still questioned more than twenty years later."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Adequacy of U.S. Marine Corps Security in Beirut, Report of the Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee and Report of the Department of Defense Commission on the Beirut International Airport Terrorist Act, October 23, 1983". Historic Documents of 1983. 19 Dec 1983. CQ Press. CQ Electronic Library. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29, 2007 <http://library.cqpress.com>.
• Bates, J. Anne Dammarell et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran. Sept 2003. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia. November 29, 2007 <http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2224.pdf>.
• "Beirut Bombings." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2007. Grolier Online. Apollo Library. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29 2007 <http://gme.grolier.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com>.
• Cooper, M. H. Combating terrorism. CQ Researcher (5) 21 Jul 1995: pp. 633-656. CQ Public Affairs Collection. CQ Electronic Library. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29, 2007 <http://library.cqpress.com>.
• Felton, J. "Congress resigned to U.S. role in Lebanon." CQ Weekly Online. 5 Nov 1983: pp. 2288-2291. CQ Press. CQ Electronic Library. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29, 2007 <http://library.cqpress.com>.

More papers on Terrorist Attack on the U.S.: Beirut, 1983:

• Cause and Effect Essay # 140358 : "Oil Price Increases on the U.S. Economy"
• Argumentative Essay # 149242 : "The Effects of Outsourcing on the U.S. Economy"
• Research Paper # 61496 : "The U.S. Anthrax Mail Attacks"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: