Listen to the Article - Powered by

In his book "The Arabists", Robert D. Kaplan describes an episode after the American pastor, Benjamin Weir, was kidnapped in Beirut in 1984. The US government at the time was trying to secure Weir's release, but as one former diplomat, David Long, recalled, "[t]he Weirs treated me and the State Department as the enemies.

This Article is only available in The Daily Star on-line archive.
Containing over 100,000 articles, The Daily Star archive is an excellent information source and research tool for all events in Lebanon and the region since 1997.

To access the article you must Register and purchase an Archive pack.
If you are already registered but you didn't purchase an Archive pack, Please please login here and purchase an Archive pack.

For a new Star Scene experience, check our new website at http://starscene.dailystar.com.lb