How Classical Geopolitics Impact U.S. Foreign Policy for Middle East

UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST
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Introduction
Despite its volatility, the Middle East region remains of unquestionable significance in the international political realm, which tremendous influences that date many centuries. Global powers and countries within this region are constantly fighting for natural resources, leadership positions, and land. It is increasingly important to note that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks significantly altered U.S. foreign policy for the Middle East. Following the September 11 events, the Bush administration embraced the concept of pre-emptive attacks as the primary pillar for protecting American strategic interests in distinct world regions, including the Middle East (Cristol, 2018, p.55). For roughly two decades following the culmination of the Cold War, the Middle East’s regional hegemonic relations were largely stable, and America was the undisputed and dominating external power. However, the current status quo is characterized by the region’s instabilities, including but not limited to civil unrest, imminent revolutions, and the resurgence of major power rivals such as China and Russia. These shifts have significantly altered the geopolitical landscape within the region. As one of the leading nations in terms of gross domestic product and military capabilities, the U.S. foreign policy is geared at exerting influence and spreading the philosophy of capitalism (free trade) and democracy in different world regions, including the Middle East. In order to understand the Middle East and its impact on international politics, a researcher must study and appraise the geopolitics of this interesting region. Several geopolitical theories explain the explosive and unsettled landscape of this region. This paper evaluates the impact of classical geopolitical theories on U.S. foreign policy for the Middle East.
Research question
The research paper is guided by the following research question: How does classical geopolitics impact U.S. foreign policy for the Middle East?
Literature Review
After the Cold War, the bipolar world system was superseded by a unipolar world order. America is the hegemonic power in a unipolar world system, both militarily and financially. To maintain its global supremacy, the United States develops regional policies such as policies in the Middle East, the Far East policy, Latin American policy, and so on. Among the world’s territories, the Middle East is the most important (Gause, 2019, n.p). America’s Middle East agenda always focuses on specific issues such as economy, security, and domination. The U.S. has clear goals in the Middle East, which it has constantly sought for almost a century. Those objectives are best described as ‘imperialist,’ concentrated on the quest for geo-strategic benefits in the dominance of the region’s energy resources—oil and natural gas.
When the United States formulates its foreign policy, it always prioritizes Middle East territory. Of course, America has been the dominant force in world events since World War II. It is crucial to recognize that a variety of facets of U.S. history influence policy up to the present day, which are underappreciated. America is a settler-colonial society, to name one fact. Settler-colonialism is the most heinous form of imperialism since it eliminates or removes the indigenous population. The U.S. is particularly interested in the Middle East since it is technically and strategically significant to its national and global interests (Gause, 2019, n.p). However, the scenario has completely shifted since the World Trade Center attack. After September 11, 2001, America’s foreign policy shifted dramatically. The political situation in the Middle East has been drastically transformed since September 11, 2001. According to the Bush presidency, the attack was carried out by the Islamic terrorist organization Al Qaeda (Wechsler, 2019, p.21). Bush shifted the course of American foreign policy in a speech to a joint congressional session on September 20, 2001.
Following 9/11, President George W. Bush predicted his international affairs on the notion that Middle Eastern terrorists were a particularly deadly foe and declared a lengthy battle against them. In some ways, it seemed that the world had returned to history. However, the Bush government’s view that democracy could be speedily transplanted in the Arab Middle East, beginning with Iraq, reflected a genuine faith that the broader tide of circumstances was to America’s advantage (Mead, 2014, p.73). Harkavy (2001) discusses how successive U.S. administrations have framed U.S. national security influence in the Middle East as facilitating access to Middle Eastern oil, controlling ambitious regional hegemons, and restricting the spread of mass destruction weapons. Washington has attempted chiefly to fulfill this complicated set of aims through a system of informal security partnerships, particularly with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Research by Quero and Dessì (2019) emphasizes that the Middle East is an appealing policy priority for America due to geopolitical reasons. The U.S. policy revolves around three pillars: an ongoing preoccupation with energy economics, backing for Jewish nationalism, and counterterrorism. It is increasingly committed to pursuing these policy cornerstones.
Harrison (2019) asserts that during the Cold War, the U.S. interests in the Middle East were pretty stable: keep oil coming from the Persian Gulf at an acceptable amount and price; preserve Israel – the region’s sole democracy; and push the Soviets out as much as possible. However, the interest has shifted to the point that the U.S. still has to ensure that no other state achieves hegemony over the region, though the menace now comes from Iran rather than Russia. Sherwood (2018) emphasizes that Americans have a valuable understanding of the Middle East and that America is interested in the Middle East (p.10). Furthermore, the Obama government’s reactive approach in the Middle East is nothing new, but it is still founded on an old paradigm developed during the Cold War.
Gause (2019) highlighted how the primary strategy of U.S. policy in the Middle East is to see a peaceful Middle East that will assist them in achieving their key goals. It is no secret that domestic political factors influence U.S. foreign policy and national interests. Pressure organizations and lobbyists, such as the American Jewish community, play an essential role in foreign policy formulation. The U.S. international relations have thus been founded on four pillars: the sustained flow of massive amounts of cheap Gulf oil; the preservation of the State of Israel; the deterrence of Communism as initiated by foreign powers (the Soviet Union in previous years); and the repression of movements threatening security, particularly Islamic fundamentalism.
Theoretical Framework
The research is guided by Sir Halfold Mack...