Hello everyone and welcome to my first Civic Issues Blog post! For this blog, I will be analyzing United States foreign policy, its complications, potential shortcomings, and the opinions of other countries. Because of its vast economic and military power, America has a lot of interests in a lot of different places, and seems to get itself involved in just about any conflict these days, for better or for worse. Some would consider many of our country’s foreign policy decisions to be questionable at best, and there’s no place America likes to be questionable more than the Middle East.

Map of approximate numbers and locations of US troops

Today, the United States plays a major political and military role in the Middle East, with American military bases and soldiers being found in the vast majority of the region’s countries, from Saudi Arabia to Turkey. Despite the nearly 70,000 troops stationed throughout the area, the United States is currently involved in only one active war, Afghanistan, the longest running armed conflict in our nation’s history. Outside of Afghanistan, most of the American military presence can be attributed to anti-terror campaigns, defending economic and military interests, and of course, keeping tabs on Iran.

Iran and the Unites States have a tense relationship to say the least, especially now with President Trump at the helm of foreign policy. Trump made his criticisms of the Obama-Era Iran Nuclear Deal a major part of his presidential bid, leading to the United State’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018. Since then, sanctions have been reinstated on the country, and political hostilities have resumed, culminating in the assassination of Iranian General Soleimani and the subsequent missile strike on an Iraqi airbase. Although hostilities have seemed to peak recently between the two countries, relations between the US and Iran have been spotty for decades, with the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Iranian seizure of American sailors in 2016 being two prime examples of past tension.

President Trump formalizes the withdrawal from the nuclear deal

Even though hostilities seemed to have backed off in that department, at least for now, the United States continues to face other issues in region as well. Iraq and Afghanistan, following US military action, have both been horribly destabilized, with each being plagued by terrorist groups and separatist militias that serve as a constant threat to the governments in power. To say that this has lowered public opinion of the United States in the region is likely an understatement. However, not all of the failed or failing states of the Middle East can credit their ailments to Uncle Sam. Syria, a close ally of Russia and Iran, has largely descended into full-blown chaos on its own, with the United States limiting its military intervention in the Syrian Civil War to a single missile strike. While Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was hardly a fan of the attack, it did little to escalate tensions between America and the troubled country, and a full-blown invasion of the country at this point seems unlikely.

While it may sometimes seem like America has managed to turn the whole region against itself, the Middle East is home to a few friendlier faces. Saudi Arabia is often cited as a strategic ally to the United States, mainly because both countries are dead-set on opposing Iran. While Saudi Arabia could not be more ideologically different from America, common political and economic interests help to keep relations cozy, alongside the mutual crusade to prevent Iranian expansion. Saudi Arabia is far from perfect, with the country involving itself in its own brands of shady activity in the region, but whatever. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and right now, both countries have chosen to buddy up.

Members of the Saudi Royal Family

In addition to the Saudis, the United States finds a consistent ally in Israel, a nation existing in a constant border dispute over an area roughly the size of New Jersey. Israel is certainly not without its problems, but the country’s common interests and (mostly) democratic system puts them on good terms with the United States, allowing a lot of its more questionable moves to go largely unopposed.

Overall, the role of the United States in the Middle East has proven to be complicated, with American influence and power now being an almost necessary component of regional stability. It is only now, after decades of war and occupation that the United States has realized how deeply ensnared it is in the area’s conflicts, and how disastrous a quick withdrawal could be. The statement that we should never have gotten involved in countries like Iraq or Afghanistan in the first place is a moot point. For better or for worse, we are there. Now, it is up to the leadership of this country to find a way out.