For many years, the United States has been a cornerstone of international security and stability, advancing democracy and prosperity while opposing oppressive rogue regimes and violations of human rights. Continue reading to learn more about the unique national security risks facing US foreign policy in the Middle East, which has long been a focal point of American foreign policy and is home to some of our most significant allies as well as our most urgent problems. The United States has long been known as the “world’s policeman” or the “indispensable nation.” Through its economic, political, and military involvement, America has resisted dictatorships and violations of human rights while advancing democracy and wealth throughout the world since World War II. The United States has acted as a bulwark of global security and order, a defender of human rights and universal freedom, and a deterrent to rogue regime assault.
Promoting stability through US foreign policy in the Middle East
US involvement in the Middle East has pros and cons; it came into the new millennium closer to peace but also closer to potential conflict than it has been in a while, which is a dichotomy appropriate for one of the most complicated places in the world. Israelis and Palestinians have now started to discuss the most challenging problems that separate them, seven years after the Oslo peace process started. The two sides are more dedicated to continuing their intense and unprecedented efforts to reach a complete deal, and despite the breakdown of their peace talks at Camp David last July, they are closer to a final peace accord than they have ever been. Before the mid-1900s, European nations established ties in the Middle East, first with US involvement in the Middle East, especially through the League of Nations following World War I. The United States’ foreign policy in the region was comparatively restricted. The Cold War increased anxiety about the Middle East in the 1950s. As people fled political problems in Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, and Afghanistan in the 1970s, the United States’ approach to the region altered in 1965, and this was reflected in more relaxed immigration policies. Relations with the United States were impacted by these political issues as well as energy ties brought on by Middle Eastern oil. President Carter declared what became known as the Carter Doctrine for the Middle East in the 1980s, outlining and coordinating military, political, and economic initiatives in the area.
Energy security and US foreign policy in the Middle East
The Islamic religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to take over after the Shah was forced to leave for the United States in January 1979 due to protests against him. In November 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the American Embassy in Tehran and held embassy staff hostage for 444 days, demanding that the Shah be sent back to Iran to face prosecution. The United States cut diplomatic ties and froze Iranian assets. US wars in the Middle East throughout the mid-2000s, tensions persisted and intensified due to sanctions and mistrust of Iran’s uranium enrichment. Following the 1938 discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia, the United States established the Arabian American Oil Company. Since 1980, the Saudi government has acquired all of the corporation after gradually buying out its owners. Refineries in Saudi Arabia are still owned by American corporations such as ExxonMobil and Chevron. Saudi Arabia took part in an oil boycott against the United States and other Western countries in 1981 as payback for the United States’ backing of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
Counterterrorism in an evolving landscape
The US military launched an offensive against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan following 9/11. Osama bin Laden was shielded by the Taliban regime, which soon lost power and fled to Pakistan on the other side of the southern border. Beginning in 2001, the US troops remained in Afghanistan and worked alongside Afghan forces in a bilateral counterterrorism operation. The Taliban eventually reclaimed control of Afghanistan following the US troop withdrawal in August 2024, after peace negotiations were sluggish and beset by constant defeats. The Persian Gulf War began in August 1990 when Saddam Hussein led the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The United States denounced the attack and formed a coalition with Japan, the former Soviet Union, and the majority of Europe and the Middle East. When Kuwait was freed in March 1991, Operation Desert Storm ended the war.
Strengthening alliances with key partners
The White House sets the agenda and puts together a national security plan, and the executive branch is primarily responsible for crafting US foreign policy. The Secretaries of State and Defense also have important roles in establishing priorities, developing policy, and carrying out strategy at the Cabinet level. Under the auspices of the State Department, the US Foreign Service employs and trains our diplomats, who then serve at US diplomatic missions across the globe to implement US foreign policy. Members of the House and Senate are key players in foreign policy within the legislative branch; elected officials in Congress are mandated by the Constitution to handle foreign affairs, “including the right to declare war, fund the military, regulate international commerce, and approve treaties.”
Ending lines about US foreign policy in the Middle East
The Middle East has seen a great deal of turmoil in recent decades. Numerous civil conflicts have been sparked by uprisings throughout the area, which have challenged autocratic governments, overthrown longtime dictators, and left regional leaders intently focused on regime security.
