The Israel-Palestine Conflict - Coursework Example

Policy Paper Executive Summary All the countries in the Middle East have felt the influence of the United States despite the physical distance that separates the two regions. The influence date mainly in the 2oth century when the United States rose to be a feared and also a coveted world power with its interests and peace making missions bringing it at loggerheads with the countries in the Middle East such as Iran. In the 21st century the conflicts have been characterized by renewed efforts to curb terrorism, a mission that has seen the controlling of major terror groups such as Al Qaeda and other affiliated smaller ones. The Israel-Palestine conflict has also been influenced greatly by the stand of U.S. and it is believed that it has the ability to bring the situation to a solution by maybe giving the Palestinians the States they have been fighting to have. The influence was also shaped by its conflict and competition with the Soviet Union that saw the crumble of the latter in the early 1990s after a long term of cold war that left United States with little competition from the European Union countries. Its work has ran from diplomatic endeavors trying to solicit peace from the warring sides to full blown action when the sides failed to down their tools and bargain for a better deal without fighting. The access to the Middle East oil has been termed as a major interest for the U.S. interests in the region. This work will address its influence in the region in the 20th and 21st century. Background The interest of the United States in the region has been defined by many people especially political scientists as an economic one especially while considering the oil wealth that is possessed by the countries in the region. Though it has been at the forefront trying to solicit for means to end the regular fights and conflicts in the region it has been accused of trying to impose leaders that will ease its way while trying to access the region after it has had a hard time trying to make its way into the region. This has put it on the wrong side with many of the countries, most of which are led by radical leaders who can barely hear of any relationship with it. In a normal political set up, there are leaders who use its influence to rise to power by ensuring that they are loyal enough o be entrusted with the role of governing the land and quenching the interests of the United States and other affiliated groups which may also have an interest in the same. The entry into the Middle East has been a hard yet worthwhile venture for the States. This has seen it spend the better half of the 20th century trying to solicit its way there by use of economic treaties, diplomatic ventures and also military warfare while trying to oust leaders who were purported to be leading in a dictatorial way such as Saddam Hussein. In 1919, the first move was made that affected the current day Middle East. This was the setting up of colonial boundaries after the formation of the League of Nations under President Wilson Woodrow. This was the first move that saw the shaping of the region’s political set up and the establishment of the political boundaries that are seen in the region today. After the First World War, United States had a positive interaction with countries in the region and there was no reason to mistrust any of the groups. Complete independence was called for by the Middle East countries shortly after the war and since President Woodrow had requested the representatives from the region to make their requests, this was granted but under the governance of the United States and not the normal colonial masters from Europe such as Britain and France. In the late 1940s, the effect of the United States in the Middle East was felt more significantly as the country worked hard to support its international policies and its interests in the region. It needed a steady supply of oil to boost its economic ventures in the region and so any act or proposition by a communist was highly resisted by the powerful nation. On top of this U.S. supported countries which had defined themselves as loyal and trustworthy allies such as Saudi Arabia, Israel and also Egypt. The leaders in these countries were ready to shelve their interests and quench the needs of the United States. The fight against terrorism came to change the whole set up in the region and the ousting of various leaders that has spread over the Muslim nations has been seen as highly influenced by the United States. The current upheavals in Egypt and Libya not mentioning the Middle East has been seen as part of the US mandate to try and control the oil coming from the region. Framework It is hard to define the Middle East without mentioning or highlighting the effect of the US on the development and the setting up of the political scene that is seen there today (Tamara, n.d). This is mainly due to the fact that terrorism has been highly associated with the Middle East region with radicalized terror groups taking the world by storm and working feverishly to quench their thirst for revenge for what they term as injustices towards their people mainly by the United States and its allies. The major concerns that a political scientist would draw from the influence of the US on the region would be on the following major overhauls that changed the region totally and put the peaceful state experienced at stake. During the Cold War, there was high levels of suspicion and mistrust among the countries in the region and the United States which was competing for supremacy and dominance with the Soviet Union. The result was that each of the countries wanted to ensure that any healthy ties held by the opponent with a third party country were destroyed. This was the move behind the toppling over of Iran’s elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq. This was done by a coup planned by the United States in 1953 that saw the leader who wanted to nationalize the country’s oil being thrown out of power. This depicted the interest US had on the regions rich oil deposits that has catalyzed the war that is seen there to date. After the coup, Mohammed Reza was given the mandate to govern the nation as he could not bar the interests of the foreigners in the region. Shah was pro-western, and his policies were seen as autocratic and which were not made for the better interest of the citizens of the country. This led to an increased resistance to his power and trials to oust him. His rule was ended by the Islamic revolution in 1979 which saw the reinstatement of the older policies (BBC News, 2014; The New York Times, 2012). The influence on the country has been viewed as negative and self-centered and at the moment the two countries i.e. US and Iran remain to be great foes. Another country that has been greatly affected and shaped by the United States is Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq war, Saddam Hussein who was leading Iraq was a close ally of the US and this led to the support of his mandate. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, US was not ready to interact with it and its strong regime was seen as a real threat to the peace of the region. It also acted as great hindrance to the country’s interests in the region. However, in 1990, Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait and this led to a heated hatred between him and the United States that saw the conflicts that ended with the termination of his presidency and the following death penalty. The move by the US to oust him from power is still seen to be malicious as malicious and self-centered. The Israel-Palestine conflicts have been part of the last century’s international politics and also part of this century. United States has been supporting Israel in the bid to hinder the Palestinians from getting their freedom and the state they have been dying to get. US has been seen supporting and defending the Jews since 1967 during the Six-Day-War which seen as a move by the Arab league of Nations fighting against Israel. Its presence in the region has been a major block to the achievement of peace in the region. Possible Solutions The international relations between the United States and the countries in the region is moving from bad to worse. This has been a result of the biasness seen in the United States’ influence and the determination of the people who will assume power in the region. Sailing out of the Middle East and the rest of the Arab World, we look at Libya. Libya was one of the most stable countries economically in Africa under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi. However, due to its failure to relate well with the US his regime was brought to an end and his life ended. This has led to conflicts in the region and a good avenue for the United States to impose its policies through a dummy leader. Egypt has also suffered the same. At the moment the two countries are still unsettled and the development that had been seen over the years has been crippled. The claim by the United States to promote stability in the region has been seen as unreasonable and therefore all the countries involved are working to avoid it. Looking at the result of its military action in the region, one cannot fail to realize that the countries may take many years to bounce back to the place that they were before the involvement of the States in the Middle East politics (Tristam, n.d). Conclusion In conclusion, United States needs to review its foreign policies and its involvement in international politics. Due to the involvement in ousting various presidents and leaving the countries in turmoil, many people find it hard to trust it at the moment. The fight against terrorism started as a noble move that was supported by many countries across the world. However, due to the political witch hunt that has been seen and the move to try to quench political and economic interests through it has led to discrediting of the whole move. Terrorism still remains to be a real threat to global peace and economy but the best way to handle it may not be through the military ways and the disruption of stable democratic nations that is seen being done by the United States. The achievement of peace in regions such as Israel can only be achieved if US retracted its biased influence and worked to have a common interest with the people in the region. Cited Works BBC News. US-Iran Relations: A Brief Guide. 2014. Available at. Tamara, Al-Om. US and Middle East Relations. Available at. The New York Times. Iran, the United States Seesaw. Middle East. April 13, 2012. Available at. Tristam, Pierre. The U.S. and the Middle East since 1945. Available at. Read More