Who's At The Helm?

The author underlines what he considers to be the "lessons of Lebanon" for US foreign policy in the greater Middle East and in the world at large. He suggests that the President must take the lead in policy formulation and interagency coordination; diplomacy and force must both be a part of balanced foreign policy; and "loose cannons" like Robert McFarlane and later, Oliver North, are as inevitable as they are disastrous when there is no policy leadership and when the interagency process breaks down.