Current US foreign policy in the Middle East must be understood in an historical context. To fully understand what is going on in this dangerous part of the world, one must understand the role that American domestic politics plays in forming American international policies. Christian and Jewish worshipers, who are supportive of Israel, exert a powerful political influence, turning this into a big issue in American politics.
What makes this region so difficult to solve are the number and the variety of problems. There is no single cause. The problems are religious, cultural, geographic, and demographic. This is not a recent phenomena either. The conflicts in this part of world have been happening for over a thousand years. The importance of Israel to Christians and Jews have made this a powerful political issue for American domestic politics too.
The struggle between the Sunni and the Shia branches of Islam has been the cause of many wars. It shares many of the characteristics of the war between Catholics and Protestants in Europe. The real reasons behind the war are not differences of religious dogma. The real nature of the conflict is cultural and political divisions.
The struggle between Israel and the Palestinian people has been going on since Israel became a Jewish state in 1948. There are powerful political interest groups in the United States that are pro Israel. Both Jewish and Evangelical Christian voting blocks have exerted influence on politicians to support Israel in this long and bitter struggle. Only limited progress has been made to long lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians.
Everything changed after September 11, 2001, when the United States was attacked by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. American policies regarding international relations is based on preventing and fighting terrorism. To further complicate matters, Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The Arab spring which overthrew the government of Egypt and disposed of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya presents a new set of problems. While democracy is a welcome development, these dictators may be replaced with Islamic governments that are not friendly towards the United States.
The invasion of Iraq completely upset the balance of power in the region. Iraq's longtime enemy, Iran, has been elevated in power. Iran is not a friend of the United States. The obvious question comes to mind: was it sensible to overthrow a government that the was once America's ally when such a policy will benefit a country that is our sworn enemy.
The civil war currently taking place in Syria is a prime example of the dilemma policy makers face. Syria is ruled by a brutal leader who has used poison gas on its citizens. The rebels, however, are Islamic extremists who want to attack American. If we arm the rebels, they may use the weapons we give them to attack us. The Russians, who are our rivals, support the current Syrian government. Some experts are saying the best course of action is for the United States to simply stay out of this war.
One thing everyone, without regard to their political persuasion, can agree on is that current US foreign policy in the Middle East has never been more complex and dangerous. It seems that there are no clear answers to the problems in this region. It is a situation where none of our choices are good. We have to choose the least dangerous option.
What makes this region so difficult to solve are the number and the variety of problems. There is no single cause. The problems are religious, cultural, geographic, and demographic. This is not a recent phenomena either. The conflicts in this part of world have been happening for over a thousand years. The importance of Israel to Christians and Jews have made this a powerful political issue for American domestic politics too.
The struggle between the Sunni and the Shia branches of Islam has been the cause of many wars. It shares many of the characteristics of the war between Catholics and Protestants in Europe. The real reasons behind the war are not differences of religious dogma. The real nature of the conflict is cultural and political divisions.
The struggle between Israel and the Palestinian people has been going on since Israel became a Jewish state in 1948. There are powerful political interest groups in the United States that are pro Israel. Both Jewish and Evangelical Christian voting blocks have exerted influence on politicians to support Israel in this long and bitter struggle. Only limited progress has been made to long lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians.
Everything changed after September 11, 2001, when the United States was attacked by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. American policies regarding international relations is based on preventing and fighting terrorism. To further complicate matters, Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The Arab spring which overthrew the government of Egypt and disposed of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya presents a new set of problems. While democracy is a welcome development, these dictators may be replaced with Islamic governments that are not friendly towards the United States.
The invasion of Iraq completely upset the balance of power in the region. Iraq's longtime enemy, Iran, has been elevated in power. Iran is not a friend of the United States. The obvious question comes to mind: was it sensible to overthrow a government that the was once America's ally when such a policy will benefit a country that is our sworn enemy.
The civil war currently taking place in Syria is a prime example of the dilemma policy makers face. Syria is ruled by a brutal leader who has used poison gas on its citizens. The rebels, however, are Islamic extremists who want to attack American. If we arm the rebels, they may use the weapons we give them to attack us. The Russians, who are our rivals, support the current Syrian government. Some experts are saying the best course of action is for the United States to simply stay out of this war.
One thing everyone, without regard to their political persuasion, can agree on is that current US foreign policy in the Middle East has never been more complex and dangerous. It seems that there are no clear answers to the problems in this region. It is a situation where none of our choices are good. We have to choose the least dangerous option.
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