1982, Lebanon and the Road to War: Decision-Making on the Road to War and During It (Routledge Studies in Modern History)

On June 6, 1982, the Israeli Defence Forces entered Lebanon for what was billed as a relatively limited operation.In reality, the Lebanon War claimed many lives and undermined public trust in decision-makers.Through newly published archival documents, this book explores the events that led to the war and the actions of the people involved. With the help of documents published in this book for the first time, historian Yigal Kipnis lays out the circumstances of the war, the preparations and discussions leading up to and during it, Israel's convoluted moves against the administration in Washington and against the Lebanese Christians, and above all - the consistent coordination between Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon.The goals of the war were derived from Begin's worldview.Sharon worked to achieve these goals in the military field while Begin operated in the Israeli political field and diplomatically with the United States.To this end, he skillfully, cle