Abstract This paper discusses the book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem", which was written by Thomas Friedman long before today's current climate of heightened awareness of terrorism's impact upon the West. The paper contends that the book functions more as a snapshot of history than as a living picture of today's current events and concerns. The paper explores the political rubric and analysis applied by the author to the civil war in Beirut that was transpiring all around him, even infiltrating his own hotel at some points, claiming that it remains compelling from a political, as well as a human, narrative point of view.
From the Paper "Thomas Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem was written in 1989, after the author's tenure as the New York Times correspondent in Beirut. He was the first Jewish correspondent to the region, and it was considered, at the time, a daring act for this paper to engage in such a ?statement.? Friedman's balanced and personally revealing, soul-searching analysis in this text is a testimony to the fact that, no matter how much criticism has been leveled at this paper by other aspects of the media since, the New York Times certainly made the right decision in picky Friedman to ask the needed, probing questions about the violence transpiring in the region at the time. He emerges as both unbiased and likeable in his self-presentation."
Abstract This seven-page paper summarizes the fundamental parts of the book as well as critically analysis "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas L. Friedman.
Abstract 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."
Introduction
1982 was not the first year that the Marines were deployed to Lebanon, nor was Ronald Reagan the first American president to feel the need to send them there. President Eisenhower also deployed the Marines to Lebanon in 1958, with equally unclear motives and troubling results. The intent in the following pages is to look at the reintroduction of the Marines to Beirut under the conditions of the time and try to understand what went wrong and what might have better served U.S. interests. That re-deployment, which began in 1982, was marked by the bombing of the Marine barracks in October of 1983 which represented the largest single day's loss of American servicemen since World War II. After that time, much of the U.S. effort was reduced to damage control until the Marines were ..."
Abstract This paper examines the book "An Evil Cradling" by Brian Keenan which relates his story as a hostage of Shi?ite militiamen in Beirut for four and a half years. It discusses how his persuasive style invites the reader into this story: To the scene, to the feelings and to a world of inner strength from which Brian Keenan's survival in a world of terror and violence comes. It shows how the book is an heartening and stimulating experience and how in the face of utter fear and despair the human psyche has mechanisms such as humor and warmth for a fellow human being, which sustain us. It looks at how Keenan's sanity was retained by his ability to retreat into his mind-his thoughts and dreams gave strength and is abilityto step outside of himself and the situation and become an observer, attempting to understand but refusing to let his mind become part of it.
From the Paper "Keenan deliberates that to be truly humanized it is necessary to share his experience honestly with another person. He sees that this means in its entirety, including the thoughts, which trouble him and the irrational musings. When madness hovers, created by fear, it is the imaginings of the mind that saves McCarthy but only as Keenan leads him through an experience of imagining a room and the minute details of all it contains. Humor is a way of distancing themselves from the violence- after the particularly savage beating of Keenan by Abed they resort to humor as a way of keeping control. They identify the guard Saafi as having something that makes him human- a sense of humor."
Abstract This paper presents an overview of the book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," by Thomas L. Friedman. The paper describes and discusses Friedman's experiences in the Middle East as a reporter for the "New York Times" during the war-torn era of the 1980s and early 1990s.
From the Paper "Thomas L. Friedman, author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, presents in this book a journalist's account of the development of the problems in the Middle East from about 1979 to 1995 when this book was published. Friedman is a journalist serving as the Foreign Affairs columnist for the New York Times. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for international reporting, and he spent ten years in the Middle East, which is the experience on which he draws to write this book, most of which is personal observation of events at which he was present or an analysis of information and experience garnered from his time in the Middle East. From 1979 to 1981, Friedman was the Beirut correspondent for United Press International, and in 1982 he became the bureau chief in Beirut for the New York Times. He won his second Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for reporting. Thomas Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem was written in 1989, after the author's residence as the New York Times correspondent in Beirut."
A discussion on American Middle East unilateralism and the results of their response to the attack on the US marine compound in Beirut Airport in 1983.
Abstract This paper discusses the United States' foreign policy approach under the Reagan administration. In particular, the paper discusses the American Middle East unilateralism according to the United Nations, particularly following their invasion of Grenada. Also discussed is the attack on the US marine compound in the Beirut Airport in 1983 and the results of the US response to the attack.
From the Paper "It is, too, important to mention here that more than American lives were lost; there are the lives of the numerous Lebanese civilians whose lives were lost as America attempted to flex its muscles in that country in 1982-1983. It also plays into the hands of the propagandists when America or any other country for that matter, attempts to take a unilateral stand and attempt to dictate Middle Eastern policy. The end result, as was the case in Lebanon in 1983, is that America lacked the understanding of where it was, and the history that preceded the events of 1983. For a country like America, that is not an acceptable level of preparedness to go into a foreign country as a mediator or a shaper of peace and policy. There is no excuse, and it is the most egregious demonstration of ineptitude and poor foreign relations and policy demonstrated by the United States to date - except as may prove to be the case in Iraq."
Abstract What were American policies toward Lebanon between 1945 and Desert Storm, and what were their bases and justifications? Were selfish national interests the main factor or were more egalitarian and humanitarian concerns the basis of US policy? This essay addresses those questions by assessing American policy in Lebanon as well as the common view of this small but strategic country in American eyes.
From the Paper "The "State of Greater Lebanon" was proclaimed by France in 1920 and then significantly enlarged as part of its post-World War I mandate. A new nation based on expansion of the Christian enclave of Mount Lebanon in the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon peacefully achieved its full independence from the French mandate in 1943. The country was destined to travel a strange and unpredicatble path in the ensuing fifty years: a model of stability and Westernism and a center of terror and civil war. In the American mind and heart during the latter part of the 20th century it became difficult to decide if the Lebanese were cultured polyglots or hooded terrorists. The powerful influence of the US in the Arab world after World War II created the need for sound policy based on clear objectives for Lebanon, but for several reasons both pragmatic and emotional decisions resulted. What were American policies toward Lebanon between 1945 and Desert Storm, and what were their bases and justifications? Were selfish national interests the main factor or were more egalitarian and humanitarian concerns the basis of US policy? This essay will address those questions by assessing American policy in Lebanon as well as the view of this small country in American eyes. It argues that the majority of decisions were the result of regional concerns involving the Arabs and Israelis or related to American self-interest and not based on the interests of the Lebanese people."
Abstract This paper shows that even though Lebanon and Jordan are geographically neighbors, their current political and national positions are very different. Their similarities are discussed during Ancient Biblical times of foreign rule. Their present government and leaders are compared and their attitudes towards the politics in the region are analyzed - Israel-Palestine issues. Their levels of religions rule and the basic make up of their populations are also compared.
From the Paper "Although geographically Lebanon and Jordan exist in the same region, few similarities exist with the two countries, especially in recent history. A limited number of similarities go back to ancient and medieval times. Some general religious and cultural similarities also exist. The geographic features differ significantly. Their governmental structure also differs and therefore their laws and rights diverge. Twentieth century history, geographic features, and economic variances link together to create substantial differences."
Tags: Middle, East, rule, national, politics, Hussein, Druze, Palestine, West, Bank, Israel, Beirut, Moslem, Islam
From the Paper "Thomas L. Friedman, author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, presents in this book a journalist's account of the development of the problems in the Middle East from about 1979 to 1995 when this version of the book was published. Friedman is a journalist serving as the Foreign Affairs columnist for the op-ed page of the New York Times. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for international reporting, and he spent ten years in the Middle East, which is the experience on which he draws to write this book, most of which is personal observation of events at which he was present or an analysis of information and experience garnered from his time in the Middle East. From 1979 to 1981, Friedman was the Beirut correspondent for United Press International, and in 1982 he became the bureau chief in Beirut for the New York Times. He won his second Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for reporting."
From the Paper "In From Beruit to Jerusalem Thomas L. Friedman offers his first-hand observations of life in the Middle East where he worked as a reporter for ten years from June 1979 to 1989 (3). As a two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in the Middle East, Friedman offers a perceptive account of his days living in Beirut and Jerusalem rendered with rare insight into the belief systems and fallacies of both Arabs and Jews. Friedman observes that his earliest interest in Israel occurred when he was in high school and his parents flew him over Christmas vacation to visit his sister who was studying in Israel (4). After studying in Israel and Egypt, he began to become mutually interested in both worlds and began studying Arabic (6). Friedman's deep appreciation for both the Jewish and Arab worlds..."
Abstract This paper examines Lebanese emigration from the perspective of the civil war's effects on the nation's population and discusses the nation and its populace in terms of cultural, political, and economic factors.
From the Paper "National instability due to adverse conditions brought about by the presence of warring factions is often the cause of mass migration patterns that affect the demographic statistical information regarding the nation's perceived economic and political stability. In the case of Lebanon, the nation had a governmental system in place before the 1960s that was lauded by international concerns for its stability and functionality in reference to the nation's diverse population groups. This perspective is contrasted sharply with the years of civil war that wracked the region, particularly during and after the 1970s, when
extra-national interests became involved in domestic policy as both aggressors and supporters."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the book "Cities of Salt", by Abdelrahman Munif, first published in 1984 in Beirut. According to the paper there are many politics issues that are introduced in the book, and it is important to understand how the novel enhances the understanding that others have of both politics and society within the Middle East. The paper discusses and addresses these issues in order to
show how the novel brings new insight for those that do not live in the Middle East and may not be aware of the society and politics of that country.
From the Paper "The technology that the Americans bring is a problem for the Bedouin residents, because they have never seen it before and do not understand it. Because of this, they are very suspicious of the Americans and the equipment, which includes telephones, automobiles, bulldozers, and radios, among other things. Many of the residents see these items working off of 'magic' and this makes them frightened and confused. This is one of the ways that the author shows how the clash of cultures and societies can cause problems and misunderstandings, and is therefore very important to the central theme of the novel.
Since the story moves along at a strong pace and covers many years, there is a virtually endless group of events and characters that can be examined, and the plot threads all connect in such a way that the story remains very interesting throughout. There are many nuances and ambiguities that can be seen in the Arab culture, and quite a large number of them are rather subtle. The translation of the book by Theroux shows that there is an understanding of the language and culture of the Arabs and all of the subtleties that go along with it, which is important for capturing the 'voice' of those that are seen in the novel and the way that the Arab society works."
Tags: Bedouin, americans, oasis, technology, arabs, islam
