Middle East: A New Decade Brings on Changes of Interest.

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

U.S. Middle East Interests

Middle East:

A New Decade Brings on

Changes of Interest

By:

Bruce Cameron

Middle East: A New Decade Brings on

Changes of Interest

Since the brutal and malicious attacks by the terrorist group Al-Qaida on 9/11, the U.S. has changed the focus slightly to focus on Israel-Palestine peace, oil fulfillment, and now pre-dominantly anti-terrorism in the region as well as globally. Anti-terrorism has become a #1 focus for the U.S and its allies, especially in the Middle East, with the majority of terrorists and radicals focusing on anti-western operations, originating from this region. With Israel as the only democracy in the region, and the course of violence continuing with Palestine, Israel has several reasons for interest. We have come to rely on over 20 of our 65 percent of imported oil to stem from four Middle East countries. This makes the oil in Middle East countries and the Arabian Gulf and definite interest for now. President Bush's idea for Middle East Peace, while based on hopes for an independent Palestinian state co-existing with a secure and safe Israel, may nonetheless fail to deliver peace in the region.

The plan places irregular demands on the two parties, which will become more and more obvious with time. It requires a ceasefire from Palestinian militants but does not call for ending of hostilities by Israel. Of course, the ceasefire is to be followed by an Israeli withdrawal, already in its final stages. But it does not put an end to the assassinations by Israeli forces that frequently include killing civilian men, women, and children and more recently leaders of the insurgency groups. If Israel continues to wage war against Hamas and company, the ceasefire will never last and the fighting and disagreements will continue. The expectations that the Palestinian Authority(PA) will do the job of reining in Hamas, something that the Israeli Defense Force(IDF) has failed to accomplish in more than a decade, is another tenuous part of the road map. The map lay out a small role for the U.S., the most powerful plank owner in the road map, while placing the largest share of the burden for bringing about change on the Palestinians, the weakest, and the most insecure of all players involved.

According to the plan, the Palestinians must stop all resistance to the occupation and then transform themselves from a chaotic and a frustrated society to a democratic, orderly, and peaceful community; then Israel will withdraw, dismantle some settlements, and set the stage for conclusion. It is still not settled what the U.S. will be doing during this critical period, if anything. If it continues with its coercive diplomacy in Iran and Syria, the negative fallout will most certainly mobilize radicals and undermine peacemakers. The United States cannot make peace between Israelis and Arabs in Palestine while maintaining ...

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With violence and confusion on the home front of peace with Israel and PA, the U.S. still needs the flow of the fine oil that stems from the Middle East. In 1973, the Arab oil embargo dealt the U.S. economy a major curve. This, combined with Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) subsequent price hikes and a growing American dependence on foreign oil, triggered the recession in the early seventies. As of the first quarter of 2003, the U.S. economy was recovering but oil prices were still continuing to rise. Overall, reliance on foreign oil has increased. In 1973, foreign oil accounted for roughly 35 percent of our total U.S. oil demand. In 2003, the U.S. imported a record 63 percent of its oil from foreign sources. Though provided 42 percent of U.S. imports, the dominant suppliers are non-Arab members (notably Canada, America's number one supplier, Mexico, Venezuela, and Nigeria). In fact, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Algeria and Kuwait were the only Arab countries among the top 20 suppliers of petroleum products to the United States in 2003. The Persian Gulf states supply roughly 22 percent of U.S. petroleum imports. Egypt's President Sadat persuaded the late Saudi King Faisal to threaten to withhold oil from the U.S. to exploit for political advantage the growing dependence of the industrialized West on Arab oil. The tactic was effective with the major American oil companies soon backing the Arab cause in public, and privately worked to weaken U.S. support for Israel. The growing reliance on imported oil has also made the U.S. economy even more vulnerable to price jumps, as occurred in 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1990. Oil price increases have also allowed Arab oil-producers to generate tremendous revenues at the expense of American consumers. These profits have subsidized large weapons purchases and unconventional weapons programs such as Iraq's. America's dependence on Arab oil has occasionally raised the specter of a renewed attempt to blackmail the United States to abandon its support for Israel. Luckily for the U.S. the providers of oil these days are more allies than just providers.

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. was set on bringing the attackers to justice and so brought on the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The threat of terrorism reached new heights overnight with troops and ships being stretched all throughout the globe on alert. Terrorism has long been a key feature of Middle Eastern given the high degree of conflict, relative ineffectiveness of direct military means, ideological rationalizations, and willingness of states to sponsor such activities. The aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the subsequent American war against terrorism have focused attention on the financing of such movements and operations. But if we step back for a moment and break down how terrorism is categorized, we will find that the world, most westerners, have linked terrorism to Islam. Often when Islam is mentioned, negative impressions of fundamentalists, intolerance and terrorism is conjured up; Islamic movements and organizations are automatically linked with terrorism and are blamed for the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process. Oil also makes the area sensitive, politically. Islam is portrayed as a to the (mainly Christian) West. Some claim that it is the new threat to the communist fears from the Cold War. However, the stereotypical image of the Middle East is very negative. Even in certain parts of , following the August 7, 1998 bombings in Tanzania and Kenya, there has been resentment of Muslim people in general. Islam is stereotyped as a threat to democracy without distinguishing it from terrorism or corrupt leaders who use the ideals of Islam to their own ends.

Thus, has been criticized for not taking this distinction into account and also hypocritically supporting terrorist regimes in the past for its own political gains and only now doing something about it. U.S. Military leaders on a daily basis fight the never-ending battle of “where will they strike next and to who.” Intelligence sources are gathered and analyzed in attempt to foresee what groups such as Al-Qaida and Hamas will do next to slow down the influence and support of the U.S. to countries in the Middle East. Currently the U.S. is spread over dozens of countries right now fighting the GWOT and tracking down the long sought after leader of Al-Qaida Usama Bin Ladin (UBL). Since the 9/11 attacks troops have been traveling the mountainous regions of Afghanistan putting pressure on the remaining Taliban and Al-Qaida insurgents to give up or face the aggressiveness of a determined U.S. Army or Marine soldier. The movement into Iraq and ousting of Saddam Hussein has brought about a new challenge. One of Al-Qaida’s top leaders, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has brought trouble and death tolls to an already tired and frustrated U.S. military. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a Jordanian wanted as a leader in the Iraqi insurgency. Although Al-Qaida seems to be bringing the majority of terrorism issues in the Middle East to the table, there are still numerous groups that continually threaten the presence of military troops in the region. There are still insurgencies or state sponsored groups such as Hamas, Taliban and even smaller insurgencies groups such as the one being led by Al-Sadr within Iraq.

Even with Israel-Palestine, Middle East oil, and Terrorism as reason for the U.S. to have interests in the Middle East, there remains dozens of possible high interest points that will forever into the future keep the U.S. forces and politics engaged into the region. It will be up to politicians and military leaders to decide the rightful place of our forces and also political and financial aid in order to ensure those who are the ones in need are getting the support.