Lebanon–United States relations
Lebanon |
United States |
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Lebanon–United States relations (
Formal relations between the two countries began in 1944, when US diplomat
History
The United States sent diplomat
The United States seeks to maintain its traditionally close ties with Lebanon, and to help preserve its independence,
One measure of U.S. concern and involvement has been a program of relief, rehabilitation, and recovery that from 1975 through 2005 totaled more than $400 million in aid to Lebanon. For relief, recovery, rebuilding, and security in the wake of the
Over the years, the United States also has assisted the
In 1993, the U.S. resumed the International Military Education and Training program in Lebanon to help bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)—the country's only
On October 24, 2012, five days after the
In early November 2018, the
In June 2019, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on three senior Hezbollah officials in Lebanon, Wafiq Safa, Muhammad Hasan Ra'd, and Amin Sherri. These officials were added to the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions list and were accused of having a "malign agenda" to support the Iranian government.[4]
In October 2023, unconfirmed information circulated that the U.S. would close its embassy in
Lebanese public opinion of the United States
According to polling by the Pew Research Center, from 2002 to 2017, on average 44% of Lebanese people expressed a positive opinion of the United States (lowest in 2003 at 27%, highest in 2009 at 55%), while on average 55% expressed a negative opinion (highest in 2003 at 71%, lowest in 2009 at 45%).[6] Views of the United States are heavily slanted by religion in Lebanon, with Lebanese Christians being more pro-American and Lebanese Muslims being more anti-American.
In 2005 (a year where 42% of Lebanese as a whole approved of the U.S.), "only 22% of Muslims had a favorable opinion of the U.S.—a level consistent with anti-American sentiments found throughout much of the Muslim world. However, nearly three-in-four Christians (72%) had a favorable view of the U.S."[7]
See also
- 2023 American–Middle East conflict
- Foreign relations of the United States
- Foreign relations of Lebanon
- 1958 Lebanon crisis § Operation Blue Bat
References
- ^ "A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Lebanon". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-19-026590-8.
- ^ US Targets Hezbollah Iraq Network With New Sanctions
- ^ Rappeport, Alan (2019-07-09). "U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Hezbollah Officials Accused of Supporting Iran". The New York Times.
- ^ “US government is not currently considering evacuating Americans from Lebanon” Al Arabiya. (12 Oct 2023). Accessed 12 Oct 2023.
- ^ Pew Global Indicators Database. Pew Research Center. Accessed April 5, 2019.
- ^ Rosentiel, Tom. "Lebanon's Muslims." Pew Research Center, Washington D.C. July 2006.
- This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
Further reading
- Stocker, James R. Spheres of Intervention: US Foreign Policy and the Collapse of Lebanon, 1967–1976 (Cornell University Press 2016)
- Varady, Corrin. US Foreign Policy and the Multinational Force in Lebanon: Vigorous Self-Defense (2017)
- Waage, Hilde Henriksen, and Geir Bergersen Huse. "A Careful Minuet: The United States, Israel, Syria and the Lebanese Civil War, 1975–1976." International History Review (2019): 1-22.