Under Siege: P.L.O. Decisionmaking During the 1982 War

Columbia University Press, 1985-12-15. Hardcover. Like New. Prompt shipment, with tracking. we ship in CLEAN SECURE NEW boxes From Publishers Weekly Based on documents from PLO archives (Yasser Arafat is claimed to have granted full access) and on interviews with Fateh leaders as well as Western diplomats who were involved, Khalidi presents an objective and closely reasoned analysis of the defeat of the PLO and its allies. The study reveals the effect of battlefield events on the complex quadrilateral diplomacy between the PLO, the Lebanese government, the U.S. and Israel. The author also sheds new light on the loss of U.S. prestige in the Middle East: the U.S., he maintains, is held responsible in the region for, among other things, failing to restrain the Israelis and for not preventing the Sabra and Shatila massacres. He concludes with a concise summary of the transformations wrought by the 1982 war on the politics of Lebanon, the Palestinians and Israel. Khalidi, a Palestinian, is a visiting professor of political science at Georgetown University. December Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Khalidi focuses on the summer of 1982 when Christians, Moslems, Palestinians, Syrians, and Israelis fought a no-holds barred battle in the streets and camps of Beirut. The author's major contribution to our knowledge of that period arises from his access to PLO archives for verification of diplomatic correspondences and his attention to the reactions of the Lebanesenot just the various political groupsto events. His verdict on PLO decision making? As good as could be expected although Arafat and his advisors were more often than not in a no-win situation by virtue of superpower maneuvers. Recommended for large subject collections. David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.