US-Middle East Relations and 9-11 - Research Paper Example

Inserts His/her Inserts Inserts Grade (05, 05, US-Middle East Relations and 9-11 Introduction The role of 9-11 attacks is significant in shaping the world politics of today. International relations redefined and the ‘fight against terror’ kindled Islamic fundamentalism throughout the world as a result of September 11 attacks. The relations between United States and Middle East have been complicated for some time now but the September 11 attacks on World Trade Center increased the tensions between Middle Eastern countries and United States especially at the grass root level. At present the foreign policy of US is changing with respect to the Middle East and democratic reforms are being introduced in Middle Eastern countries. This might give US and Middle East a chance to reduce their long lived enmity. In this paper we will discuss the causes of many conspiracy theories that still are popular within the Middle East about the 9-11 attacks. A brief history of US Middle East relations will also be given. US foreign policy post 9-11 towards Middle East will be discussed and future of the US Middle East relations will be inferred. History of relations between Middle East and USA The involvement of United States in the Middle East, at least at a governmental level, did not start until the end of the Second World War. Before the Second World War Middle East consisted of many European and British colonies, and United States had no strategic interest in the region except oil. Middle East countries however were oil rich and this made the region important for the whole world. United States companies singed oil agreements in the Middle East but that sums up US involvement in the region before the Second World War. It is also important to mention here that in the earlier half of the 20th century United States was viewed in positive light by the common people of Middle East and US was considered better as compared to the Europeans and the British who had control in the region1. US also sent many of its petroleum engineers in the region. Many US corporations also operated in the region because US wanted to make use of the energy resources of the region. By the end of the Second World War United States began to understand the importance of Middle East. This was the time when US started to consider Middle East as one of the most strategically important area in the world2. United States realized that the oil rich region had to be controlled after the Second World War because both Britain and Europe was badly hit by the war. At that point in time United States emerged as one of the super powers of the world. From this point United States started to intervene in the region. Middle East was also going through many changes at the end of the Second World War with nationalistic movements rising in the region. For the British and Europeans it was becoming ever more difficult to keep their influence in the region. This was another reason why United States thought it was the best time to take the initiative and extend its influence in the oil rich region. The US-Middle East relations started to go bad when United States played its role in the creation of Israel. United States realized that Israel would turn out to be a great ally in the Middle Eastern region and was therefore the first country to recognize Israel as an Independent state, but no Arab country has until now accepted Israel3. US intervened in the region many more times as well. For example in Iran United States intervened when one of the nationalist Prime Ministers sought to nationalize oil fields of the country. The Suez Canal Crisis is another example of US intervention in the region. In Iraq too United States intervened and supported specific parties that benefitted US. All such interventions were aimed at reducing the influence of Soviet Union in the Middle East. The relationship between United States and Middle East has remained strained after the Second World War. Although most Middle Eastern countries support United States at a governmental level, but at the grass root level United States is not seen in the same positive light as it was viewed before the Second World War. 9-11 and its effect on the World The effects of September 11 attacks on United States and on the world were great. After the fall of the Soviet Union the world became a uni-polar world with United States being the only super power. Everyone believed that the world would become a safer place with only one super power as the risk of new wars would be minimized. But the attacks of 9-11 changed everything. The attacks not only shook the superiority complex of United States but it also woke everyone who thought that the world would become a safer place from deep slumber. The attacks of 9-11 made the world realize that grave dangers were still staring the world right in the face. After the attacks United States immediately took action and sought to bring the terrorist responsible for the attack to justice. US invaded Afghanistan and a war broke out in the region which is still being fought to this day with no end in sight. United States wanted the Afghan government (Taliban) to hand over Osama Bin Laden and other terrorist but they refused. This left US with no option but to attack the country. The attacks made US apprehensive towards Muslim countries. United States beefed up its security infrastructure greatly after the attacks. This was also due to the suspicion of United States that such attacks might happen again. This feeling of suspicion and apprehension dictated the foreign policy of United States after 9-11 as the country began to make sure that everyone follows the line set by the US. This is probably the most potent effect of 9-11 attacks on the world. US invasion of Afghanistan also gave it negative publicity especially in the Muslim countries. The image of United States was not very good in the minds of a common people in Muslim countries but after the start of Afghan war United States was viewed as an enemy by most Muslims. The attacks of 9-11 did not buy US any sympathies from the Muslim world because of the post 9-11 attacks of US on Afghanistan. The attacks of 9-11 also made United States a little too worried about its security. This led to the Iraq war which again kindled hatred for United States among the Muslims all over the world. Iraq war happened because of the security concerns (their validity is debatable) of United States. This was because of the fact that September 11 attacks made US quite vulnerable and all its superiority complex was dusted. This became the foundations of the Iraq war. 9-11 attacks, it can be safely concluded, made the world even more dangerous. It gave rise to Islamic fundamentalism and made United States extremely unpopular all over the world. The wars that United States waged after the 9-11 attacks made the Muslims sympathies with the fundamentalists and extremists. International relations began to be dictated thorough fear and countries started to use threat and coercion to secure their interests. The dreams of world peace that were seen after the disintegration of Soviet Union were shattered after the 9-11 attacks, it can be argued. Why is the Middle East still in thrall to 9-11 Conspiracy Theories? The views of Middle Eastern people on 9-11 attacks have always been different from Americans. They believe that United States used the September attacks to invade Muslim countries and wage war on the Middle East. The hatred the people of Middle East have for the United States forces them to ignore facts and to believe in conspiracy theories. This hatred doesn’t allow the people to think rationally as they view United States as an ‘evil’. Previously that is prior to the 9-11 attacks United States only interest in the region was related to the natural energy resources of the region. This dictated the US foreign policy with regards to Middle East. This changed after 9-11 as United States now viewed the region with suspicion and sought to intervene in the local politics of Middle East in order to neutralize terrorist organization and to make sure that friendly regimes remain in power in the Middle East. This shift the US foreign policy made people of Middle East even more apprehensive of United States because United States was at times supporting strong dictators and military regimes in the region just to ensure its interests were safe. United States although lobbied for liberalization in the region of Middle East as that was in US opinion a way to cut down the spread of Islamic fundamentalism later on4. Middle Eastern people have been suspicious of United States since its support to Israel in 1948. From that point onwards US has thought of Israel as a powerful ally in the region and had strong ties with the country, and this is the reason of the bitterness Middle East has for United States. This is also the reason behind the conspiracy theories regarding 9-11 attacks. Many stories are made because people are just not ready to accept that United States can be a victim! The idea that United States was attacked by a few terrorist is not believed because the actions of US after the attacks are seen in conflict with the interests of the local people. It is also important to understand that the basis of conspiracy theories about the September 11 attacks is not the illiteracy of the people. The people who come up with wild conspiracy theories about the 9-11 attacks are also not all fundamentalist. An example would be that of Egypt where the masses recently launched a country wide movement to overthrow a long standing dictator. In Egypt around 75 percent people didn’t believe that Islamic terrorist were involved in the 9-11 attacks5. This shows that the disbelief in 9-11 attacks in the region is not due to education or fundamentalism. The Egyptian revolution had nothing to do with Islam. Young people came out of their homes and toppled a dictator but still most of them are of the opinion that it is United States that is at fault and not the Islamic terrorists. The true nature of Middle Eastern disbelief on the 9-11 attacks stems from their hatred of Israel. US have always supported Israel even though it has attacked Palestine many times. The Arab people have their sympathies with the Palestinian people and they see Israel as their biggest enemy. United States is considered a close ally of Israel and this is why anti-US sentiments are high among Arabs. They feel that United States is the reason behind the loss of Muslim life in the region. This is another reason why Middle East is still in utter disbelief about the events of September 11 and considers it as a part of a big plot against the Muslims. Another reason why Arabs do not believe in the US version of 9-11 attacks is that they don’t want to be branded as terrorist in history. It is important for them to protect their Islamic ideology and they cannot let it get tainted from the blood of innocent people. This is another reason why Middle Eastern people are not willing to accept that terrorist were involved in the 9-11 attacks6. They don’t their religion to be criticized or demeaned in any way and therefore they have devised a very good way to make themselves immune from all the criticism from the western world. After the death of Osama Bin Laden it is suggested that war against Al-Qaeda is now over and the world has now realized that United States and the west in general overreacted to the threat of AL-Qaeda7. There was not the need of the sort of provocations that United States and its allies showed after the 9-11 attacks. There was a lot of collateral damage as a result and United States made many enemies because of that damage. People is almost all Muslim countries have negative sentiments about United States and many of them are therefore not willing to accept the version of United States on September 11 attacks. Recently in United Kingdom a website has been launched for British children to make them understand the reality about the 9-11 attacks and to do away with all the rumors about the event8. This shows how wide spread is the net of conspiracy theories about the September 11 attacks. Muslims, especially living in the Middle East, will not stop spreading these conspiracy theories. The example of British websites for children shows that now the west is trying to make their children understand what happened let alone the children of other countries! US Foreign Policy post 9-11 towards Middle East US foreign policy has changed drastically towards the Middle East in the post 9-11 era. Before that United States was only interested in supporting regimes and even military rulers who would ensure that the interest of Untied States is secured. But after 9-11 US became more involved in the Middle Eastern politics and sought to develop ties with the countries at a governmental level. United States spent huge sums of money on war in order to eradicate Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations from Middle East. The US administration took a firm stance on terrorism and made sure that no country was harboring terrorists that could have hurt United States. Also after 9-11 attacks United States started to use its military power to shut down terrorist networks in what was called a preemptive measure. The attack on Iraq is one example of the preemptive measures that controlled US foreign policy right after 9-11. But since the Obama administration has taken office US has become more prudent in its use of force which was previously not the case9. This was another major shift in the foreign policy of US. With the Obama administration in power US decided to use negotiations and dialogue to solve problems. United States also supported the recent ‘Arab Spring’ which was in favor of democratic reforms in the region even though the dictators that were overthrown were US allies. This is one of the biggest shifts in US foreign policy because previously United States had always relied on military dictators and authoritarian regimes in the region to control their interests. Now US it seems has learned its lesson and therefore it is supporting the democratic reforms movements in the Middle East. United States is now promoting democracy in the Middle East because it hopes that by bringing all the parties Islamic or otherwise in the process of elections, terrorist attacks and eventually fundamentalism can be curbed10. United States learned the hard way that it is not only important to develop ties with the governments because non-state actors could also become a formidable force like the US saw in the 9-11 attacks. This made US understand that all forces should be listened and a real democratic process will ensure that. The support for democratic process in the Middle East by the United States does mean a big shift in US foreign policy. It should not be inferred from this that US played any kind of role in those democratic movements. But US could have sided with the dictators but they didn’t. This shows that US has learned from the past and have now decided to support the people instead of only the heads of states. This is a major change in the approach of United States vis-à-vis Middle East. Future of relations between US and Middle East The future of relations between United States and Middle East is not easy to predict. There are so many factors that will play an important role in shaping the future relationships between Middle East and United States. One of those factors will be the future leadership of the countries in the Middle East, especially those in which currently a revolution is underway. The type of new leadership in Middle Eastern countries will decide the future of US and Middle East relations. The current shift in the policy of United States is a major step and this might be taken as a positive step by Arabs in future. This will also give Middle East a message that United States does not want to intervene in the lives of the people of the region. With United States siding with the people Middle East and US relations might be relatively better in future. The end of Iraq war and withdrawal of army from Afghanistan will also help in developing the ties between Middle East and US. United States have learned their lesson and therefore they might also extend their financial help to Middle Eastern countries to support them in areas of public health and education. All this will greatly help in creating a better image of United States in the hearts of the people of Middle East. In future Islamic parties in the Middle East are also expected to take part in the democratic process and to accept democratic reforms in the region11. This will make Middle East a more liberalized region. Also the flow of information will not be hindered in anyway due to democracy and therefore people of the region will be more aware of their rights and the world around them. This will definitely make a lot of difference in the region. Also democracy will bring freedom of speech and this will be good news for liberals. Also liberal scholars will be able to communicate openly and that alone will make a huge difference. But there will be issues that will continue to persist between the US and Middle East, and predicting what will happen in future is difficult. For example the Iranian Nuclear problem will be a major issue in the US Middle East relationship in future12. Also the issue of Israel is very difficult to be solved and therefore tensions regarding these two issues will persist in near future. Conclusion 9-11 attacks changed the realm of international relations and global politics. It also changed the shape of US foreign policy towards the Middle East. Once United States was only interested in the oil reserves of the region but after 9-11 US tried to make sure that terrorist networks are put to end in Middle East. The foreign policy of US also took a shift as they started to support liberalization and democratic reforms in region. In the Arab Spring US supported the people who wanted change in their countries and this shows that US will be siding with the people not with the government as before in the Middle East. Works Cited Page Boyne, Ian. 9/11 and US Foreign Policy. The Gleaner, (2011). Web. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110911/focus/focus2.html Britain launches 9/11 website for children. The Sydney Morning Herald, (2011). Web. http://www.smh.com.au/world/britain-launches-911-website-for-children-20110906-1jund.html Chomsky, Noam. Imperial Presidency. Canadian Dimension, 39(1), p.8 (2005). Print Dalacoura, Katerina. US Foreign Policy and Democracy Promotion in the Middle East: Theoretical Perspectives and Policy Recommendations. Ortadoğu Etütleri, 2(3), (2010). Web. http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/201082_katerina.orsam.oetut.pdf Fawcett, L. The International Relations of the Middle East. Oxford: Oxford University Press, (2005). Print Mapping the Future of the Middle East. National Intelligence Council, (2005). Web. http://www.dni.gov/nic/PDF_GIF_confreports/mideast_future.pdf McCants, W. & Rosenau, W. 10 Years Later: How We Won. The Atlantic, (2011). Web. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/10-years-later-how-we-won/244684/ McWilliams, C & Piotrowski, H. The World since 1945: A History of International Relations. New York: Lynne Rienner Publishers, (2005). Print Özcan, N. & Özdamar, O. Iran’s Nuclear Program and the Future of US-Iranian Relations. Middle East Policy Council, (2011). Web. http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/irans-nuclear-program-and-future-us-iranian-relations Trager, E. Why Is the Middle East Still in Thrall to 9/11 Conspiracy Theories? The New Republic, (2011). Web. http://www.tnr.com/article/world/94546/middle-east-radical-conspiracy-theories Read More