Peacekeepers at war
Subtitle: Beirut 1983-the Marine commander tells his story
By: Timothy J. Geraghty.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Potomac Books; Potomac Books Inc.
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 249
ISBN-13: 9781597974257
Subjects: Geraghty, Timothy J; United States. -- Marine Corps -- History -- Arab-Israeli conflict; United States Marine Compound Bombing, Beirut, Lebanon, 1983 -- Personal narratives; War on Terrorism, 2001-2009; Lebanon -- History -- Israeli intervention, 1982-1984 -- Personal narratives, American
Genres: Personal narratives; Personal narratives, American
Description: On October 23, 1983, simultaneous suicide truck bombings killed 241 U.S. peacekeepers in their barracks at the Beirut International Airport (BIA) and 58 French paratroopers at their headquarters two miles north of BIA. In this book, the Marine Corps commander of U.S. Multi-National Peacekeeping Force destroyed by terrorists in Lebanon tells his story. Together, these suicide bombings comprised largest nonnuclear explosion ever recorded and are now recognized as a seminal event leading to current war on terrorism. Such acts of war revealed a new, highly effective tactic, which complemented the terrorists' strategic goals, the withdrawal of peacekeepers and Western influence from Lebanon and a change in U.S. policy. It lays out, in detail, a sequence of events leading up to suicide truck bombings from which one can extrapolate the rationale, motives, and perpetrators behind it. Geraghty argues that absence of any retribution against the perpetrators emboldened terrorists to assume they could attack Americans and Western interests with impunity. This led to kidnappings, torture, and murders of Americans and other Westerners. This book will be of interest to general readers who want to learn more about this seminal event and its effects on the current global war on terrorism--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 239) and index.
Table of contents: title: The beginning; title: Preparation and deployment; title: Taking over responsibilities; title: Relationships and training; title: Peacekeepers in action; title: The predictable war; title: Cease-fire and rising danger; title: Suicide bombings and aftermath; title: Warriors' compassion; title: Investigations; title: Lessons learned; title: Connecting the dots; title: Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah; title: The war comes home.