America’s Past, Present and Future Relations with the Middle East
When I write about the strategic relationship between the U.S and the Middle East region, I’m talking about the long, deep relationship of the political atmosphere. Granted, there have been ups and downs, but that’s what makes the atmosphere so interesting. I would describe the ebb and flow like the sea and beach. One moment it’s close and compatible, and the next it’s distant. America is important to the Middle East, and the Middle East is just as important to Washington.
How the Relationship between the U.S. and Middle East Began?
This relationship first began during World War I, becoming stronger during the Second World War. After the end of British colonization, the U.S. became responsible for the region in the 1960s and has had 75 years’ presence in the area. The relationship must also take into consideration both the Arab-Israeli and Arab-Iranian conflicts. They helped to deepen the U.S. presence in the area and the interaction between Middle East countries.
It’s well-known the U.S. has sided with Israel since the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 along with the 1967 and 1973 defeats, the 1979 Iranian revolution and the 1989 Gulf War. The relationship continued with the Afghanistan War after Sept. 11, 2001, and the Iraq War in 2003. They participated in the war to overthrow Qaddafi of Libya in 2011, the fight against ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq in 2014 until now.
Since 2015, they have supported, and continue to support, the Arab alliance coalition in the Yemen War against the Houthis militia. The Trump Administration and its European allies – France and Britain – carried out strikes in Syria in 2018. The U.S. pulled out of the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018 as well.
Most wars in the region have led to the military cooperation of the U.S. with its Middle East allies. There have been 41 military operations with American military interventions – some fast and strong others small, but there continues to be a relationship between the two sides. There is cooperation in all aspects including but not limited to:
· Economic collaboration
· Fighting field and military sales
· Trade cooperation
· Medical
· Scientific
It’s possible that the social and intellectual competition of the Cold War between the U.S and Soviet Union remains more prominent in people’s minds and eyes. However, it was the Arab World and Middle East that provided the “playground” for these two entities. It was the dam between East and West where ideas converged through capitalist and socialist visions and where democracy and Marxism had roles. In 1990, it ended, and it was the Soviet Union that lost, which resulted in success for Western liberalism for many countries around the world.
What Policymakers Should Be Doing?
Michael Eisenstadt, director of Military and Security Studies at the Washington Institute, wrote “American Military Engagement in the Broader Middle East.” With the help of Ambassador James Jeffrey, they wrote the eternal wars in the Middle East tired the American people, but they realize they must have a military presence there to protect the U.S.’ interests. Eisenstadt said the U.S. should also maintain the vast oil and gas reserves in the Middle East because they were economically important to its main trade partners and were a source of the region’s instability and violent extremism.
According to Eisenstadt, there are three important things Middle East policymakers needed to consider:
· They must abandon their dual thinking of “war and peace,” “victory and defeat” and “systemic and irregular” conflicts to attain success.
· They need to quit relying on tactical solutions
· The U.S. needs to adopt a third party “a proxy” that can do whatever the U.S. needs to attain a sufficient force to ensure momentum toward extremist organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS and deter Iran too. This may lead to fair rights for regional partners and support the U.S. Diplomacy effort.
American’s soft power, which is reflected in many ways, has the same power of spreading the American flags everywhere in the Middle East – just as the army tank had done. It can spread American ideals through commercial, cultural and social media platforms. America is present in every country and city of the Middle East – McDonald’s Starbucks, Hollywood movies, jeans, U.S. cars, etc.
In my view, America’s presence and the comprehensive strategy between the Middle East countries are both strong and important. It can ensure the promotion of common interests. However, Arab leaders should end the hegemony of the leadership that exists in their mind and feeds the enemies. This does not help with the peace process, benefiting only the arms companies and leads to suspicious activities in the region.
The U.S.’ presences in the Middle East is important, as it offers a cultural, political and diplomatic presence that offers more than military forces. After all, the world would be a much safer place if there was no war. America must be a neutral party to the Arab-Israeli conflict for there to be peace – to end the Iranian interference that has destroyed the Arab countries.
These steps will facilitate a brighter future, negating the forces of evil and darkness. As former U.S. president Ronald Reagan once said, “The future doesn’t belong to the light-hearted. It belongs to the brave.”