|
The 1958 Civil War was instigated by Lebanese Muslims and Druzes who were
inspired by the February 1958 unification of Egypt and Syria and agitated to
make Lebanon a member of the new United Arab Republic. Pro-Nasser demonstrations grew in number and in violence until a full-scale rebellion was underway. The unrest was intensified by the assassination of Nassib
Matni, the Maronite anti-Shamun editor of At Talagraph, a daily newspaper known for its outspoken
pan-Arabism . The revolt almost became a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims.
This state of turmoil increased when, in the early hours of July 14, 1958, a revolution overthrew the monarchy in Iraq and the entire royal family was killed. In Lebanon jubilation prevailed in areas where
anti-Shamun sentiment predominated, with radio stations announcing that the Shamun regime would be next.
Shamun, realizing the gravity of his situation, summoned the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, and France on the morning of July 14. He requested immediate assistance, insisting that the independence of Lebanon was in jeopardy.
Although the war took a toll of some 2,000 to 4,000 lives,
it was regarded by many as a comic opera, especially when 5,000 United States
Marines were landed on the beaches near Beirut and waded ashore among sunbathers
and swimmers. The Marines' role, in a situation described by the Department of
Defense as "like war but not war," was to support the legal Lebanese
government against any foreign invasion, specifically against Syria. The Marines
were summoned because Shihab, believing that the army would mutiny and
disintegrate if ordered into action, had disobeyed President Shamun's orders to
send the army against Muslim rebels. Thus, Lebanon's army had once more proved
unwilling to defend Lebanon's government.
Nevertheless, Shihab's reputation for evenhandedness was enhanced by his
refusal to commit the army to ending the Civil War, and he succeeded Shamun as
president. Shihab pictured himself as a military statesman like Charles de
Gaulle. Although he relied heavily on the Deuxième Bureau (the military
intelligence branch of the army), as his power base, he surrendered command of
the Lebanese Army and did not rule as a military dictator. On the contrary, he
was a reformer who made significant concessions to Muslims in an attempt to heal
the wounds of the 1958 Civil War.
|
