Lebanon crisis of 1958

Lebanon crisis of 1958
Thomas J. O'Halloran, U.S. News & World Report Magazine · Public domain · source
Conflict	Lebanon crisis of 1958
Partof	the Arab Cold War and the Cold War
Date	May – October 1958
Place	Lebanon
Result	Government victory; Camille Chamoun does not seek re-election; Fouad Chehab becomes President; U.S. Marines withdraw
Combatant1	Lebanon, Supported by:, United States, United Kingdom
Combatant2	United Arab Republic-backed opposition, Lebanese opposition
Commander1	Lebanon Camille Chamoun, Lebanon Fouad Chehab, United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, United States Robert Murphy
Commander2	Rashid Karami, Kamal Jumblatt, Saeb Salam, Abdul Hamid Karami, Supported by:, United Arab Republic Gamal Abdel Nasser

Lebanon crisis of 1958. The Lebanon crisis of 1958 was a political and armed conflict triggered by President Camille Chamoun's attempt to amend the Lebanese Constitution to secure a second term, his pro-Western foreign policy, and allegations of electoral fraud. The crisis, which escalated into a limited civil war, pitted Chamoun's government and the Lebanese Army against an opposition coalition of mainly Muslim and Druze factions supported by the newly formed United Arab Republic under Gamal Abdel Nasser. The situation culminated in the U.S. military intervention ordered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, marking a significant episode in the Arab Cold War and the broader Cold War struggle for influence in the Middle East.

Background and causes

The roots of the crisis lay in the delicate National Pact of 1943, an unwritten agreement that distributed political power among Lebanon's major Maronite Christian, Sunni Muslim, and Shi'a Muslim communities. President Camille Chamoun, a Maronite, aligned Lebanon firmly with the Western Bloc through the Eisenhower Doctrine and refused to break relations with Britain and France during the Suez Crisis of 1956, angering many Lebanese Muslims and pan-Arabists who supported Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The formation of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria in February 1958 increased pressure on Chamoun, as Nasserist sentiment surged. Chamoun's manipulation of the 1957 parliamentary elections to secure a pro-Western majority, and his open intention to seek an unconstitutional second term, fractured the government and led prominent Muslim leaders like Saeb Salam, Rashid Karami, and Kamal Jumblatt to form a unified opposition.

International intervention

Fearing the collapse of a pro-Western regime and possible ascension of a Nasserist government, President Camille Chamoun formally requested American and British assistance on July 14, 1958, following the outbreak of the 14 July Revolution in Iraq. The same day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized Operation Blue Bat, deploying nearly 15,000 personnel from the United States Marine Corps, the United States Army, and the United States Navy to Beirut. A diplomatic mission led by presidential envoy Robert Murphy worked alongside the military operation. Concurrently, the United Kingdom prepared for possible intervention from its bases in Cyprus and Jordan, where it had also deployed forces during the concurrent Jordanian crisis of 1958. The Soviet Union condemned the intervention as imperialism, but did not directly counter it, focusing instead on diplomatic protests at the United Nations.

Course of the crisis

The initial U.S. Marine landings on the beaches of Beirut on July 15 met no immediate military resistance from the Lebanese Army, commanded by General Fouad Chehab, who sought to maintain its neutrality. While the American forces secured the Beirut International Airport and key infrastructure, the internal conflict between government loyalists and the opposition, now supported by arms and propaganda from the United Arab Republic, continued in areas like Tripoli, the Beirut district of Basta, and the Chouf mountains. General Fouad Chehab's refusal to use the army decisively against either side was crucial. The political deadlock began to break after the Iraqi coup d'état removed the pro-Western Hashemite monarchy, which, paradoxically, reduced regional tensions. Under intense pressure from Robert Murphy and a compromise facilitated by Chehab, Chamoun agreed not to seek re-election.

Aftermath and legacy

On September 23, 1958, the Lebanese Parliament elected the compromise candidate, General Fouad Chehab, as the new President of Lebanon. Chehab formed a national unity government including opposition leaders like Rashid Karami as Prime Minister and Kamal Jumblatt as a minister. The U.S. forces completed their withdrawal by October 25, 1958. The crisis solidified the Eisenhower Doctrine's application but also underscored the limits of military power in resolving deep sectarian divisions. The Chehabist era that followed emphasized state-building and relative neutrality, though it did not resolve the underlying confessional tensions that would erupt in the Lebanese Civil War in 1975. The event remains a pivotal example of Cold War proxy conflict and United States interventionism in the Middle East.

Category:1958 in Lebanon Category:Cold War conflicts Category:Arab Cold War Category:History of Lebanon