Introduction
Being the world’s leading superpower, it is quite likely that the United States will use every tactic to establish its presence in many places across the world. It is thus no wonder that they are involved in various peace and humanitarian initiatives globally.
This notwithstanding, the interest of the United States in the Middle East is questionable. Although the world has been made to believe that the involvement of the US in Middle East was purely for security reasons, there is a very high possibility that it was for the United States’ economic interests.
This paper presents various arguments pointing to the fact that the United States’ presence in the Middle East was for their own economic benefits.
Why the US was in the Middle East for their Economic Interests
As has already been mentioned, there is a price to being a superpower. One strategy used by most leading nations is to ensure that they can stay ahead of the rest.
Owing to the fact that a close association between America’s competitors and those in the Middle East could be a threat to its operations, it is quite obvious that the United States would want to be in control of most activities in the Middle East as well as in other states that export gas and oil. This led to United States entering the Middle East region as a friend with good intentions.
The United States is also known for its prowess in manufacturing weapons. To ensure a steady market and great profits for weapon manufacturers, it is clear that the United States had to be heavily involved in the militarizing the Middle East region (Day, 2000).
Apparently, most weapons imported into the Middle East region come from the United States. As a result, the US weapon industry continues to grow and weapon manufacturers keep on enjoying hefty profits from their involvement in the oil and gas business.
In the process, the economy of the United States also grew and jobs were created for the American citizens (Sullivan, 2009). This explains why the United States has on several occasions been opposed to the determination by the Middle East states in coming up with their own weapons of mass destruction.
Most of the world’s oil reserves are found in the Middle East (Habibi & Woertz, 2009). Given that the oil reserves in other regions may soon be depleted, the intention of the United States has been to maintain a steady supply of gas and oil by establishing a strong presence in the Middle East (Snider, 2011).
Consequently, the security of the Middle East region remains a matter of national importance to the US and other interested nations (Ewane, 2010). Major attempts have thus been made by the United States to create and keep close alliances with oil monarchies of the Middle East. Apparently, the US also benefits from providing transport services for gas and oil products within the region (Fund, 2006).
A number of oil firms in the United States have also benefited through involvement in partnerships with major oil companies in the Middle East (Dobson & Marsh, 2007). However, while the United States has worked so hard to create strong ties with allies in the Middle East, efforts have also been made to frustrate their opponents (Marc, 2011).
In the recent past, the supremacy of the United States in the region has been threatened by countries such as China and India whose consumption of oil and gas products has been increasing over the years as a result of growth in their economies (Habibi & Woertz, 2009).
The growing interest by China and India is partly responsible for the loss of business to American firms that previously almost faced no competition or resistance from other nations.
The presence of the United States in the Middle East is also meant to keep a tight control on the activities of Islamic groups involved in activities that threaten stability in various places across the world (Hassassian, 1997).
It is alleged that over the years, insecurities experienced in various parts of the world including the United States are spearheaded by radical Islamic groups operating mainly from within the Middle East region (Legrenzi & Momani, 2013).
Considering that this can stifle economic growth in the United States, part of the reason for the involvement of the US in the region is to frustrate the activities of such groups and render them useless (Baxter & Akbarzadeh, 2008).
Conclusion
The involvement of the United States in the Middle East has been criticized by many, including those whose very existence may be threatened by the activities within the region. There are also concerns that the United States is assuming a role reserved for the United Nations Security Council.
Although it is the sole responsibility of the UN Security Council to authorize any form of military interventions, the United States went ahead to make a unilateral decision to do so.
Considering the views presented in this paper, it is clear that the United States was in the Middle East for its own economic reasons. This is contrary to the wide spread belief that the United States moved into the region to help restore peace and stability in order to create a healthy and secure environment.
References
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