“The outbreak of civil war in Lebanon in 1975 was mainly caused by outside interference.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the civil war in Lebanon was mainly caused by outside interference. Candidates may stress the primacy of outside interference as a cause by considering the creation of a League of Nations mandate that included Christians, Druze and Shia and Sunni Muslims within its borders. Sectarian resentments were stoked by the French, who favoured the Christian population. The volatile mix of populations was added to by large numbers of Palestinian refugees who flooded into the country following the creation of Israel and the expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan. Candidates may also mention the Israeli Special Forces raid in 1973 that went some way to destabilizing the country. Candidates may also stress the importance of domestic politics, including the weakness of the army and the creation of militias.