ABSTRACT
A different political logic and other considerations came into play in assessing the suitability of third-party peacekeepers outside southern Lebanon. By mid-November 1982 a 4,300-man force comprising U.S. Marines (1,200), French troops (1,500), and Italian troops (1,400) was deployed in Greater Beirut to bolster the Lebanese army. Plans were soon under way to expand the force. When Lebanese Foreign Minister Elie Salem visited Washington in December he sought a commitment to increase the size of the marine contingent, as well as the French and Italian, to about 12–15,000, with the idea that the MNF could extend its area of operations, serve as logistical backup for the Lebanese army, and bring “the psychological security that cannot easily be defined.” (Some even thought that, at its peak, a total of 25–30,000 troops would be required.)
