From Deterrence to Weinberger Doctrine: How Lebanon Changed Reagan’s Foreign Policy

The first three years of the Reagan presidency saw an awkward implementation of military force to support diplomatic goals. For Secretary Weinberger, Lebanon in the fall of 1982 was one such instance. Secretary Weinberger was deeply concerned with this deployment because there was no clear objective for the Marines to accomplish. Secretary Weinberger also was concerned that military intervention in this crisis would not find support in Congress or with the American public. During President Reagan’s first term in office the Administration, Congress, and the American public at large were greatly affected by the tragedy of Vietnam.  Military intervention outside the United States was, at the time, difficult for many to support. Secretary Weinberger, and many Pentagon officials, felt using military force in this instance would become something akin to Vietnam.