The siege mentality in Beirut

An historical analogy between the British in Palestine and the Americans in Lebanon

Bruce Hoffman

ResearchPublished 1984

This paper recounts experiences of the British Army in 1947 in Palestine, where they were, like the U.S. Marines during 1983 in Lebanon, deployed in urban areas and subjected to hit-and-run attacks by an anonymous adversary. The response of the British then to repeated attacks, like that proposed in Washington in 1983, was to increase fortifications. The author suggests that the British experience is relevant for the U.S. Marines in Lebanon: Determined adversaries are likely to find a way to undermine the defenses of what may be regarded as even the most impregnable installation.

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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1984
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 4
  • Paperback Price: $20.00
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/P6953
  • Document Number: P-6953

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RAND Style Manual
Hoffman, Bruce, The siege mentality in Beirut: An historical analogy between the British in Palestine and the Americans in Lebanon, RAND Corporation, P-6953, 1984. As of September 15, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6953.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Hoffman, Bruce, The siege mentality in Beirut: An historical analogy between the British in Palestine and the Americans in Lebanon. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1984. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6953.html. Also available in print form.
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