The Effects of Superpower Intervention on Conflict and Cooperation in Middle East Politics - Research Proposal Example

The superpowers and the Middle East - the effects of superpower intervention on conflict and cooperation in Middle East Politics Introduction The recent dramatic discontent in the Middle East is a reflection of the past developments, which have been building tensions among the states creating a geopolitical imbalance and instability in the region. The Islamic states have encountered continuous tribulations since the advent of the world war, following the rise of the involvement of the superpowers in the region (Entessar 21). Notably, there have been many scenarios of soaring discord among the popular groups in the given countries. Such disagreements are evidence of the continuous political differences associated with other aspects of social and religious intolerance among the people. Notably, the involvement of the Western countries, particularly the United States much as they seek to establish peace, they are elevating the course for political instability in the region. Theory Foreign policy, as established by the United Nations, allowed the involvement of the set established members in pursuing involvement in developing regions to facilitate peace and further development (Khan, Manzoor & Zahir 114). The middle as a region holds a massive amount of wealth from the natural resources it posses. Further, the region also is highly religious, with Islam as the leading religion in the region (Cairo 1882). Thus, developing from these establishments is the theoretical framework of established government among the given states in the Middle East. Factors such as terrorism and anti-democracy movements constitute some of the key elements to consider in the course of this research proposal. The understanding of the core aspects that create interest of the superpowers in the Middle East region is key to evaluating the effect of the involvement of the superpowers in the Middle East. The world peace is a matter of concern in the understanding of the effect of geopolitics on the development factor of the world systems (Owen 87). In the Middle East, peace has remained a key contention point, factoring the implication of the demands of the various groups with vested interests in the region. Natural resources, in addition to search for supremacy and assertion of democratic rule, are aspects of the continuous conflict that is impacting the middle east region accordingly (Zentella 271). The United States continues to pour billions of dollars in facilitating military, foreign aid and funding anti-terror programs and campaigns within the region. The Soviet Union, on the contrary, is keen to establish friendly terms of involvement with members of the Middle East region such as Syria among others. Thus, these opposing stances of the superpowers in their involvement in the region are another theoretical framework for evaluating the impact of the superpowers in the Middle East region. Additionally, in understanding the effect of the involvement of the superpowers in the Middle East and its politics, it is essential to evaluate the framework of the recent developments in the region. The recent Arab Spring is a formidable point of approach in reflecting the aspects in which the superpowers shape the geopolitics of the Middle East region. Notably, the United States in its role will remain a key focus in evaluating the uprisings that saw a widespread change of the rule from the once all-powerful presidents, some authoritarian and dictatorial in practice. These establishments facilitate an understanding of the impact that superpowers involvement has, such as the positive push for democratic governance and honouring of human rights by the leadership of those countries in the Middle East. Thus, indeed, the superpowers are key players in shaping the democratic development of the Middle East region from this framework of evaluation. Narrative of the historical case Historical involvement of the United States remains n exemplary illustration of the impact that superpowers have in the geopolitics of the Middle East. For instance, in reflecting the U.S. foreign policy towards Iraq, established from the late 1990s, the relations between the West and the Iraqi state worsened (Hinnebusch 57). The Iraqi government, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, saw a heightened state of war in the country, despite the push from the U.S. government to facilitate peace for the Iraqi populations. Consequently, this war saw Iraq lag in development as it impaired the management and utilization of the present rich natural resources for development. Notably, even after ousting of the president Saddam Hussein, the country saw further rise of terror groups, including the recent ISIS group, which keeps impairing the state of peace and development in the country. Thus, from this illustration, the superpower involvement in the region is essentially derailing the course of development. From the second concept of the involvement of the superpowers in the Middle East, the impact is notably confrontational. It is evident that the key superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, have had vested and varying interests in the region. Whereas the U.S. seeks to establish democratic rule and impose its presence in the region, creating antagonism in the region, the Soviet Union approaches the region in friendly terms, establishing peace and friendly relations with members of the Middle East region such as Syria among others (Ryan 753). Thus, observing from this development, it is evident that the superpower involvement in the Middle East is negatively affecting the unity of the region. Consequently, the region suffers underdevelopment and increased disagreements as the superpowers continue to impose their varying perspectives on the region. Further, in the concept of the recent uprisings that saw the Arab states undergo a state of unrest, key understanding of the fuelling factors of these unrests is the involvement of the superpowers (Panayiotides 74). The region in most of its past leaderships has a majority of the states under authoritarian rule, in which there is little tolerance for diversity of ideologies (Long 41). Thus, as the superpowers impose their stance in the region, they bring along new ideologies such as political freedoms, respect for civil rights and liberties, economic freedoms and stability as well as a working judicial system in addition to other practical elements of the society (Panayiotides76). Thus, as the Middle East people, such as Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen learnt of the possibility of attaining such freedoms and rights, they sought to push for them. The U.S. alongside other superpower countries from the West facilitated these uprisings creating a series of unrests in the Arab region. Thus, in this approach, it is evident that the superpowers are responsible for the recent political unrest and instability in the Arab region. Analysis In view of the hypothesis of this dissertation, the proposal sought to establish the impact of the superpowers in the Middle East politics and their development. Consequently, the hypotheses stated accordingly that the superpowers are responsible for the undoing happening in the Middle East politics. From the evidence established in the theoretical frameworks of approach, it is notable that the superpowers have their vested interests in the region, including the control of the natural resources as well as maintaining world peace and stability (Daniels 43). Therefore, the evaluation of the historical cases in addition to the current cases in the region is essential for this proposal. In analysis, the case illustrations reflect accordingly that the United States, alongside other superpowers, are remarkably responsible for influencing the geopolitical instability in the Middle East (Daniels 46). The push to establish civil rule with rights and freedoms is because of influence from the superpowers. Moreover, the war against terror and hate groups in the region is another factor of consideration that reflects the negative impact of the superpowers in arousing the Middle East groups to respond in retaliation hence war. Conclusion More importantly, is the evident worsening of the economic inequality in the particularly oil-rich nations. Despite the unrest in the region, the elite class remains at the helm of leadership, influencing the path of development and politics in the region (Zentella 267). Thus, despite the involvement of the superpowers in the region, the factor remains that the people of the region are also equally responsible for the political instability. Nonetheless, as this research establishes, the superpowers are extensively responsible for the negative developments in the region, including the unrests and establishment of groups of terror that threaten world peace. Works cited Cairo, M. F. "Democratic Uprisings in the New Middle East: Youth, Technology, Human Rights, and US Foreign Policy." Choice51.10 (2014): 1882-3. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. Daniels, Peter. "A Systems Perspective on U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East: A Prepositional Analysis." Emergence : Complexity and Organization 14.4 (2012): 38- 50. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. Entessar, Nader. Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2010. Print. Hinnebusch, Raymond A. The International Politics of the Middle East. Manchester [u.a.: Manchester Univ. Press, 2003. Print. Khan, Jehangir, Manzoor Ahmad, and Zahir Shah. 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