Middle East security has become an increasingly troublesome conundrum for the United States. U.S. objectives in the region have been complicated by the strategic dilemma of Iran-Arab and Iran-U.S. tensions;
Middle East security has become an increasingly troublesome
Middle East security has become an increasingly troublesome conundrum for the United States. U.S. objectives in the region have been complicate d by the strategic dilemma of Iran-Arab and Iran-U.S. tensions; the persistence of both transnational and sub-state terrorism; the growing difficulty of U.S.-Saudi relations as a result of 9/11 and the Jamal Khashoggi Affair; the U.S. position on the Israeli-Palestinian issue; and U.S. efforts at “regime change” across the region, particularly during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
These factors have been further complicated by increasing Russian assertiveness, especially in Syria, as well as by an ongoing proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Yemen. Evaluate the security situation in the Middle East in light of these factors. How has the security situation changed over the past twenty years? What mistakes has the U.S. made? What strategic objectives should the U.S. pursue, and how should it achieve those objectives? Be sure to cite the relevant (geopolitical) sections of Ali Soufan, Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State (2017).