Defusing a foreign policy crisis: Myth and victimage in Reagan's 1983 Lebanon/Grenada address

This paper investigates the operation of myth and victimage in President Reagan's efforts to remove ambiguity and displace guilt associated with his actions in Lebanon and Grenada. The analysis reveals how Reagan's speech of October 27, 1983 redefined the situation so that guilt for the Beirut bombing and Grenada invasion was shifted to the Soviet Union and American foreign involvement was reaffirmed as both desirable and inevitable. Attention is focused on Reagan's use of three levels of opposing clusters to index myths of progress, freedom, mission, and national self‐interest, thereby generating a positive rationale for U.S. involvement in Lebanon and Grenada while establishing a motive to blame the savage Soviet antagonist for opposing civilized ideals.