The Middle East: the Arab-Israel Crisis - Term Paper Example

The Middle East: the Arab-Israel Crisis Introduction The Middle East has always remained a focal point in the world map throughout the past and in the present as well. Issues like the Arab-Israel crisis, the wars in the Gulf, the puzzle of political reforms have always surrounded the Middle East. In terms of its international relations too, this part of the world has often been on the news headlines (Fawcett). Be it the oil and political economy in the international relations of the Middle East, the politics of identity in the Middle East international relations, the Islam and the international relations of the Middle East, the US and the European policies for the Middle East (Fawcett). There are many current instances where the US has gone far in providing relief to the suffering countries. The United States has been providing an amount of around $3 billion every year to Israel (McArthur). The assistances being offered to Israel are in the name of Foreign Military Financing, Economic Support Funds and Migration and Refugee assistance (McArthur). The Middle East is beset with umpteenth number of problems such as lack of reliable democracy, political instability, uneven development of social and economic issues, the clash of globalization, to name just a few (Fawcett). Amidst all these drawbacks which this particular region of the world has been facing, the most significant one for both present and future, appears to be the imbalance of power. Most Dominant Issue in the Middle East The imbalance of power is the major cause of the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel and is undoubtedly the most dominant problem for the Middle East. There has been insufficient progress in reaching a justified solution to the conflict between Israel on one side and Palestine, Syria and Lebanese on the other side. A proper balance of power reflects a cut in the wars followed by a rise in the initiative to sort out issues peacefully (El-Hasan). “The equally effect of nuclear deterrence between the US and the Soviet Union explains four decades of Cold War relative stability between them. But there were proxy wars between the super-power rivals and interventions to crush small states” (El-Hasan). Even in the presence of international laws like the United Nations Charter and other important things like the interdependence of commerce as well as the ecology, there persist chaotic relations among the nation-states (El-Hasan). Due to this imbalance of power, the powerful states enjoy the authority to dominate the weak ones; while the developed states have all the strength to exploit the less developed ones (El-Hasan). Had there been genuine balance of power, the states with power would have never got the courage to use force against the territory and the political sovereignty of the less privileged (El-Hasan). The Palestinians claim that they have been denied not only their ancestral lands but also their democracy (El-Hasan). According to Emerich de Vattel, the balance of power has been defined as, “an arrangement of affairs so that no state shall be in position to have absolute mastery and dominate over others” (El-Hasan). The Middle East is still undergoing latent wars due to the lack of balance of power (El-Hasan). Middle East in the US Foreign Policy Agenda The Middle East has long been and is still in the foreign policies of the US. Various factors had called for US intervention in the matters of the Middle East such as the Arab League, Organization of Islamic States, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, to name just a few. The US has been entering into various relationships with Israel, Iraq, Iran, Palestine and Syria. Israel has always been supported by the US’s military equipments. Another interest that draws US intervention in the Middle East is the country’s access to the region’s oil. Be it diplomatic proposals or vigorous war, The US has since long been endeavoring to enter into the matter of the Middle East in the interest of its economy. The persistence of the Middle East in the foreign policy agenda of the US is being challenged due to certain situations. Until recently, the US intervention in Lebanese matters was appreciated as with the US military aid, the Arab country was able to eliminate Syrian military forces, thereby confirming its sovereignty (Block). Also, the Lebanese provided strong support for the pro-Western ruling alliance during the elections in May. However, the March coalition did not receive much support for the US primarily due to its own insufficiencies and secondarily due to the vigorous power of Hezbollah, the friend of Iran and Syria (Block). Another serious issue which the US is presently facing is its foreign policy with Iran. Although president Obama has offered the new strategy of involvement assuring to resolve the nuclear issue, sort out the human rights chapter, and build space for pro-democracy activists in Iran, according to the people of Iran the US president has only initiated a political metric which can bring success only through pressure (Block). In spite of all odds, with president Obama on power, the presence of the Middle East in the US’s foreign policy agenda will certainly benefit both the parties. It is less likely that the region will be able to solve out the conflicts between Israel and Palestine on its own. Meanwhile, last month, Obama, has stated in a press conference that the United States will remain engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks (Frankel). This is certainly “encouraging to everyone who lived through the unconscionable violence that filled the vacuum following the collapse of the Oslo Peace Process and the disengagement of the Bush administration” (Frankel). EU Versus US in the Middle East Economic interests, oil being the primary one, have drawn the European Union (EU) too to take part in the matters of the Middle East. The EU like the US has been participating in the Middle East issues particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts (Crooke). Despite the EU’s intervention in the chapter of Israel and Palestine, the union has not attained any positive fame in the Middle East (Crooke). No matter how much the EU has been trying to offer cure for the range of issues in the Middle East, the Muslim world has remained indifferent to the approaches (Crooke). The two-state solution opinion versus a Palestinian state per se idea has been a matter of tension for both the US and the EU (Crooke). The Israelis have clearly expressed that they are determined in what they are doing and will constinue to do so (Crooke). Allthough the EU show disbelief to these sayings, this disbelief is not reflectd in the Middle East as odf now (Crooke). In fact, the EU’s strategy stands in a direct relationship present between Europe’s social democracy and free-market model (Crooke). It has been revealed that instead of offering its own formulas to combat the issues in the Middle East, the EU is simply following the principles already laid down by the US (Crooke). Despite its endeavors to takeover the role of the US in the Middle East, the union is less likely to achieve success. The EU has been noticed to simply follow the approaches set by the US for sorting out the Middle East issues. The Middle East Future: To be Welcomed or Feared In the light of the past as well as the present situations, the future of the Middle East appears more to be a matter of fear than that of delight. The long conflict between Israel and Palestine seems to be perennial. Israelis are determined to proceed in what they are doing without looking back. They are already supported by the military aids of the US, which does so because of its own economic interests. The anguish of Palestinians seems to be rising high. Repeated efforts of both the US and the EU to intervene in the matter and to reach peace have been futile. This probably can give way to atrocious events in the Middle East somewhere in the near future. The conflict between Lebanon and Syria is also a serious issue to be pondered. Due to the rise of Hezbollah, the Lebanese will probably be left with no option than to surrender. Syria is a storehouse of war-weapons while Iran is completely eager to have a war with the US. Terrorism is something which the world cannot underestimate. It was the 11th September terrorists’ attack which shocked the world. Such humanitarian acts are being nourished in the terra firma of the Middle East. Illiteracy, poverty, and oppression are the backgrounds of such terrorists who are trained and sheltered in the Middle East. In fact, the future of Middle East possesses the most dangerous issue for the entire world, the issue of terrorism. Oil in the Middle East has been a significant cause of wars in the past and can be so in the future too. Oil was undoubtedly one of the causes of the Gulf War which witnessed the elimination of thousands of lives. The US and the Europe has already been intervening in the Middle East to have a share of the region’s precious resource. Other countries too can get associated with the Middle East for eyeing oil for their economic interest. Conclusion Throughout the past the Middle East has been surrounded with umpteenth number of drawbacks. The issues of this part of the world persist in the present and are most likely to move to the future as well. The important issues in which the entire Middle East is wrapped up encompass political stability, unreliable democracy, and uneven growth of social and economic matters. Wars, oil, religion, globalization and foreign policies have always been associated with the Middle East. The most dominant issue in the Middle East is undoubtedly the conflict between Palestine and Israel. This calls for a proper strategy of the US to bring peace to both the countries. With the growing intervention of the US in the Middle East matters, the EU has also been coming up for the participation. However, the union is being observed to follow the US policies only. In the presence of such a chaotic situation in the Middle East, the future of this region appears to be fearful with factors like terrorism, war and internal conflicts. Works Cited Block, J. ”The Cedar Resistance”. The Middle East Channel. 11 Nov. 2010. 9 Dec. 2010. Crooke, A. ”Tourists in Washington: anatomy of an European Mideast Failure”. The Middle East Channel. 2 Dec. 2010. 9 Dec. 2010. El-Hasan, H. Afif. ”Imbalance of Power, the Middle East Problem”. PalestineChronicle. 16 Aug. 2010. 9 Dec.2010. Fawcett, L. International Relations of the Middle East. Oxford University Press: USA. 3 Feb. 2005. Frankel, B. Rafael D.”Plan B for the Middle East”. The Middle East Channel. 16 Nov. 2010. 9 Dec. 2010. McArthur, Shirl. ”A Conservative Estimate of Total Direct U.S. Aid to Israel: Almost $114 Billion”. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Nov. 2008. 19 Nov. 2010. . Read More