ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to judge the Middle East policies of the Reagan Administration. The development of the Reagan Administration's initial foreign policy strategies was heavily conditioned by the ideological tone of the political campaign. The rapid escalation of fighting in Lebanon in the spring of 1981 appeared to catch the Reagan Administration by surprise, and a senior career diplomat Philip Habib, was called from retirement to use his professional skills to keep a lid on the Israeli confrontation with Syrian-Palestinian Liberation Organization forces in Lebanon. The Administration tried to shift the blame for the Lebanese debacle to the Congress. President Ronald Reagan continues to enjoy the confidence of a majority of the American electorate, even though they remain critical of his foreign policies in Central America and the Middle East. He continues to look and act like a president and the image buildup has managed to turn aside any fallout from such gross foreign policy failures as Lebanon.
