The united states constantly faces major challenges in the middle east that require highlevel attention and the commitment of significant military, economic, and diplomatic resources. Strategic interests in the middle east and implications. Evolving us strategic interests in the middle east. A new middle east does exist in places, but there is still an old middle east of tradition. Mar 02, 2020 trumps middle east peace plan has the potential to enrage the gulf states by yoel guzansky ari heistein march 1, 2020 why trump wont leave afghanistan until the very last possible second. Middle east policy german policy towards the middle east should be regarded as an integral part of european policy. Having borne the brunt of previous interventions there, the army is well positioned to help policymakers understand both the utility and the limitations of u. Us presence in middle east by trey coggins on prezi. Special interest lobbying of the sort that is common to washington. Other than oil, what interests does america have in the.
Saudi arabia hosted his first foreign visit and he has ignored riyadhs disastrous intervention against the iranianbacked houthis in yemen, its crackdown on do. And while the united states has long worried about the arab gulf states checkbook. In some places in the middle east, secular culture flourishes. The united states has long been involved in the middle east, and its role has. Congratulations on that limited bit of understanding on the problem. China has major development and infrastructure ambitions across the middle east, and japan is widely involved, although in more low key ways. Egypt has an interest in pursuing counterterrorism for its own reasons, moreover, not simply out of a desire to curry favor with the united states, and its military is. Todays posited us interests in the middle east can be broken down into five areas. Pdf american policy in the middle east researchgate. In the middle east, iran is competing with its neighbors, asserting an arc of influence and instability while vying for regional hegemony, using statesponsored terrorist activities, a growing network of proxies, and its missile program to achieve its objectives.
Army should be prepared for its involvement in the middle east and north africa to extend into the future. Us interests and israelpalestine if americans knew. This is the point where someone inevitably will say that the u. Feb 08, 2017 in the case of the middle east, i would argue that the united states lacks the forces or even a conceivable strategy to crush either the sunni rising or iran. Uncertain strategic implicationsthe united states relied on friendly arab regimes and israel as security partners during the cold war and in the struggle. There is no question that the principal american interest in the. The rise of isil and the expansion of kurdish influence have probed the depth of american interest and commitment to maintaining the state structure in the region as represented by physical borders drawn a century ago. Close examination of the history and current situation reveals that u.
Trumps middle east peace plan has the potential to enrage the gulf states by yoel guzansky ari heistein march 1, 2020 why trump wont leave. United states foreign policy in the middle east wikipedia. Their conclusion is that the regions are very different, but that the type of early confidencebuilding steps taken by the united states and the soviet union in the 1960s should be tried in the middle east. Subsequently, relations have evolved through legislation, bilateral agreements, and trade. Iran is a country of about 80 million defended to the west by rugged mountains and to the east by harsh deserts. However, rather than approaching knowledge of the middle east solely from a position of self interest, we hope that our readers will be equally or even more compelled to know what middle easterners think. Middle east policy council teaching the middle east. Mar 02, 2016 regardless of the administration, the united states has long reiterated a consistent set of interests in the middle east that have guided u. For all the talk about the need to pivot to other regions, developments in the greater middle east continue to have a profound effect on the united states. This will help us be more informed as a society, as citizens, as voters. In tandem with regional fears of a reduced us interest in the middle east, the. Us interests and the use of force in the middle east.
The united states in the middle east, interests and obstacles currently unavailable. Middle east during the cold war was its role in the ussoviet competition. Full text of american interests in the middle east see other formats hear bast american interests in the middle east american interests in the middle east the middle east institute washington, d. Teachers and textbooks cannot free themselves from bias, but both authors want to make sure our students see more than one side of the burning issues of the present and the past. Pdf on apr 10, 2002, mohamed rabie and others published american policy in. In lebanon, a country with long experience in dealing with terrorism, i gained. The continuing importance of american interests in the middle east. In 2011, it looked as if the arab spring uprisings would deal a further blow to russias declining influence in the middle east, by toppling syrian president assad, one of bashar almoscows few remaining allies in the region.
S has tendency to have its military in the middle east. Jan 10, 2017 iran, mattis, and the real threat to u. Discussions of us strategic interests in the middle east tend to focus on generalizations about broad strategic interests, oil, trade, friendship and peace negotiations and then show concern over all the usual suspects like instability, arms sales, rogue states, proliferation, and terrorism. During the 2016 campaign, trump accused riyadh of free riding on us security guarantees, but as president, he has given the saudis carte blanche in the region. Policy congressional research service 3 certain social and political issues, such as the rights and roles of women and religious minorities. The united states trade and investment relations with the countries of the middle east and north africa mena have considerable potential value in terms of both u. Rather, they are largely driven by two very different factors. United states, but it would not empower a state capable of threatening vital american interests as the soviet union did. There is little prospect that american military actions can resolve fundamental problems in the middle east beyond the destruction of the islamic state of iraq and. In considering the relationship of the united states with two countries of the middle east saudi arabia and iran the saudi relationship, while remaining strong, continues to erode, while that with iran is now significantly more hostile under the current us administration than it was under the previous one. Interests 4 middle east papers middle east strategy at harvard. In contrast, the united states showed little interest in international affairs in general during and after world war i.
During the cold war, the middle easts energy supplies and several communist leaning regimes rendered it part of the ussoviet chessboard. Fueling middle east conflictsor dousing the flames. Although the united states remains the unquestioned preeminent military power in the region, washington has struggled to advanceand sometimes even to defineits interests in recent years and has been frustrated in its attempts to leverage its military strength into durable political and diplomatic achievements in the middle east. The trump administrations new plan for afghanistan will simply add four more years to the strategic futility that weve endured since 2001. Us strategies in the middle east geopolitical futures. Upon recognition of the need to enhance regional cooperation and integration in the region, the gcc was established in the early 1980s to better facilitate and enhance foreign investment amongst member states. The events in iran and the gulf during the last week have been a grim reminder that iran remains the major threat to u. The gaps between them have been filled with dictatorship, xenophobia, and fundamental ism. The enduring american presence in the middle east nyu law. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Aug 02, 2008 it is a truth that oil is a major factor in our interest in the middle east, a no brainer.
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