History of American Foreign Policy in the Middle East

History of American Foreign Policy in the Middle East
The Middle East has been an area of interest for America since the Treaty of Mudros marking the end of Ottoman participation in World War I. After the official conclusion of the war with the Treaty of Versailles, the Entente powers of France and the UK divided up the land once controlled by the Ottoman Empire. This was done against US President Woodrow Wilson’s wishes, who wanted the liberated peoples of the Middle East to have self-determination setting the stage for the modern Middle East. After the Second World War, the decolonization of the Middle East had begun. US and Allied oil interests in the Middle East were secured.
By the 1940s and into the Cold War, American interest in the Middle East was increasing rapidly. With the demand for oil rising exponentially and Communism from the Soviet Union threatening US oil interests in the area, the United States supported coups in key areas of the region. The Truman Doctrine aided Turkey with funding to fight against Soviet elements. The Doctrine eventually led to Turkey joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1951. America supported a coup against the Iranian government led by Mohammad Mosaddeq. Mosaddeq was attempting to nationalize the oil industry in Iran when the US toppled the government and installed the Shah. At the time, nationalism was believed to be a facade for communism. America also supported a coup in Iraq for similar reasons.
US troops were deployed in the Lebanese Civil War in 1958 During the 1956 Suez Crisis, President Eisenhower refused to give aid believing Egypt was not under threat of Communism. US support was not given in the Six Day War either. Oil interests in the Middle East were compromised during the Arab oil crisis in the 1970s. The Carter administration put in place a containment doctrine when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. With the Camp David Accords, a detente with the Soviets in the area was achieved. The Iranian Revolution in 1979 destroyed the American reputation in the region with the Hostage Crisis in Tehran.
In the 1980s, American casualties began to rise in the Lebanese Civil War. After the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, the US ignored the region leading to the rise of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, America’s purpose in the Middle East was unknown and disputed by each president. The Oslo Accords in 1991 declared the conflict between Israel and Palestine to be over. The Iraq war in 1991 reshaped America’s role in the Middle East by aiming to spread democracy and H. W.’s New World Order. Clinton wanted America’s role in the Middle East to be a purely humanitarian one.
After 9/11, W. began the War on Terror by invading Middle Eastern nations to restore democracy with the military if necessary. W. invaded several nations controlled by or funding terrorist groups. In an about face, Obama steered away from the Bush Doctrine to promote freedom of speech and civil liberties. US troops are removed from Iraq in 2011 and Arab Spring ensues which Obama supports. The US does nothing in regards to the Syrian Civil War where most, if not, all war crimes have been committed from bombing civilian hospitals to chemical weapons attacks. Bin Laden in killed and ISIS takes Al-Qaeda’s place. The Iran nuclear deal becomes a symbol of understanding and trust between the US and the Middle East. Trump has taken the most drastic of turns in the history of Middle Eastern foreign policy. He has vowed to break the Iran nuclear deal. He is finishing Obama’s war on ISIS claiming to be the one responsible for their destruction when, in reality, they are making their last stand. He is particularly friendly with autocrats in Egypt and Saudi Arabia saying nothing about supporting civil rights and spreading democracy in the region. Despite his claims to leave Syria, chemical weapons attacks are making him question his resolve and his previous claims on the matter. He seems inclined to stay out of Syria where the Assad regime is currently winning. The Assad regime is publicly backed by Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation who Trump wants to stay away from. Trump is unpredictable and his policies in Iran and Syria may shape his presidency and the Middle East in the years to follow.

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