Lebanon has a lengthy history in the Middle East and a heritage extending back nearly to the beginning of humankind. The region first appeared in history in the time of the Phoenicians, around 3000 B.C. The region was under the rule of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, the Persian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and others over its long history (Countries of the World, 1991, Chapter 1). Lebanon became independent in 1943, and a government then had to be established that would enable the various communities to live in harmony. A government was then created with a president who is traditionally a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunnite Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite. Many defense ministers have been Druzes. The National Assembly is the one-house parliament, and members are elected to four-year terms. They represent religious rather than political groups, and the president is chosen by parliament for a six-year term. He appoints the prime minister. By law, every parliament includes six Christians for every five Muslims, and each group is represented according to its numerical strength (Compton's Encyclopedia, 1994, online edition).
Widespread unrest developed with the emergence of the Arab nationalist movement after independence, the birth of Israel in 1948, and inequality among Lebanese factions. Discontented religious groups revolted against the government in 1958, and U.S. troops helped put down the insurrection. In 1970 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) moved its headquarters to Lebanon after being expelled from Jordan. When the PLO attacked Israel, the Lebanese government curtailed their activities. A violent situation led to civil war between Muslims and Christians in 1975, and some 60,000 Lebanese were killed during the first two years of the war. Israeli forces invaded Lebanon in 1982 with the intention of driving out the PLO, and some 14,600 PLO troops withdrew from the area. Lebanon ...