United State foreign policy towards Middle East - Essay Example

US has been accused of having inconsistent and incoherent foreign policy towards Middle East. The relation of United States government and the Middle East can be dated to a thousand years and since this period it has used various foreign policies in this region. Oren admits that the America’s failure to be clear and honest about its own motives, as much as its serial failure to interpret the Middle East as often befuddled relations with the region (Oren,pp.341). This paper explores the reasons for United States inconsistent foreign policy towards Middle East with a close reference to the text book power, faith, and fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to present.

Combating Threat from Middle East and Adjacent Regions. The threat posed by Saddam Hussein in Iraq was fantastical and not real until the American forces hit the ground there. United states through its foreign policy seek to protect itself from Middle East threats while at the same time helping to safeguard the lives of native people in the region. For example United States government has adopted different foreign policies in Iran and Iraq and also in Israel and Palestine. The United States foreign policy that is pegged on the pillars of deterrence, containment and preemptive strikes on terrorism and alleged terrorism attacks has been inconsistent and incoherent in Middle East.

It has stressed force and sanctions and absence of nuclear weapons in Iraq and Iran while at the same employing diplomacy in Israel and Palestine and this has created a rather disparity and inconsistency in the foreign policy. (Parmar,pp.204). Pursuit of National Interest United States foreign policy is usually based on the national interest but in the Middle East, the pursuit encompasses overlapping, conflicting and inconsistent economic, political and strategic interest. Domestic influences usually determine the United States foreign policy and it is balanced by the interest of America and the greater good of mankind.

Different political regimes in the United States also have their foreign policy blue prints and this has seriously led to the inconsistency of these policies towards Middle East. For example Democrats and Republicans have had different foreign policies towards Middle East once they are in power. There is usually more debate within the administration of United States government and the national security on foreign policy and it normally leads to contradictory, incoherent and inconsistent policy towards Middle East.

Supply of Oil United States has depended on foreign crude oil for a long time and these imports are majorly from Middle East countries. Because of the massive petroleum reserves in the Middle East United States government has developed policies that are seen to be inconsistent and incoherent about the region. In view of this and the challenge posed by hostile domestic population, United States government has adopted an increasingly inconsistent policy in regard to the Middle East region. The foreign policies are formulated in a careful strategy so as to wield acceptance from the Middle East masses and in the long run receive constant supply of crude oil.

The need for secure flow of Middle Eastern oil into the United States economy has led to special relationship. The Middle Eastern countries especially Saudi Arabia has the largest deposit of oil reserves in the world but at the same time they are marred by instability. This instability is mainly caused by political regimes which are authoritarian. United States government through its foreign policy is supporting these political regimes in the Middle East in order to secure constant flow of oil (Rosati and Scott,pp.35). As a result, the United States government has preserved the status quo politics in the Middle East particularly in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf sheikdoms.

One of the major reasons for the inconsistent foreign policy in the Middle Eas