The Origins of the US War on Terror: Lebanon, Libya and American Intervention in the Middle East

The war on terror did not start after 9/11, rather its origins must be traced back much further. This book will blend the history of the American involvement in the Middle East with the history of the fight against terrorism. It will focus on the Reagan administration while analyzing developments and policies carried out by local elites, considering the general overview of American policy in the region with specific reference to events in Lebanon and Libya. Utilizing recently declassified archival resources on Libya, Lebanon and the broader administration policy in the Middle East, Toaldo offers an in-depth analysis of how ideas and threat perceptions were shaped both by traditional US policy in the region during the Cold War and by the cooperation with the Israeli right. The cleavage between a systemic/globalist approach and a regionalist one has always shaped American policy; this book will support the idea that the unbalanced mix between these approaches heavily conditioned the policy of the administration. In a departure from existing studies, this book will not just focus on American responses, but it will emphasize the battle of ideas inside and outside of the administration and the role of local actors, evaluating the degree of manipulation of the superpowers carried out by regional actors. Tracing foreign policy thinking developed by Reagan officials and Israeli intellectuals and leaders the work demonstrates the significant impact this thinking had on US foreign policy after 9-11; it will be of great interest to scholars of US Foreign Policy, Middle East studies and American history.