Verified Document

U.S. Foreign Policy -- Middle Essay

S.; b) assess correctly the readiness of America's partners to back up the sanctions; and c) engender the support of minor trading partners ("black knights") to increase their willingness to trade with Iran as the big players leave in obedience to the U.S. led sanctions (Kozhanov, 145). The Russian writer uses some of the space in his article to review the history of U.S. sanctions against Iran, and mentions a brief thaw in the bitterness between the two countries. That came in 1998, when a team of American wrestlers visited Tehran and were welcomed with flowers. In that moment of detente, the U.S. lifted the ban on exported medical and agricultural goods to Iran, and allowed imports (dried fruits, caviar, and carpets) from Iran into the U.S. But along came the new Iranian president, hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took up the slogan "Death to Israel and the U.S.A." And made radically provocative remarks, saying, for example, the Holocaust is a lie. He vowed to build a nuclear weapon, and notwithstanding his later denials, right now the biggest threat to America's ally Israel, and to stability in the Middle East, is Iran's nuclear program. And of course, posing a lethal threat to peace is the man many suspect would launch a nuclear strike against Israel if he had the weapons, Ahmadinejad.

Among the big challenges for Arab Spring nations that hope to emerge from the turmoil with democratic institutions in place -- and for U.S. interests -- is that while polls show "broad support" for democracy, even "sophisticated and educated Arabs" like journalists have "…an uncertain mastery of democracy" (Muravchik, 2011, p. 30). The educated in Egypt and elsewhere know "…still less about economics" which is troubling because economics is a "necessary adjunct to any democratic...

The reason for the lack of understanding of economics, Muravchik explains, is that "great pools of wealth abound" in the Middle East but little of it is created "through human labor or ingenuity" -- it simply "seeps from the ground."
And wealth can keep societies like Saudi Arabia under the thumb of royalty that controls money and social behavior. For example, during the Arab Spring, Saudi leaders quickly started handing out $36 billion from reserves to fund: pay raises; housing subsidies; and other benefits for Saudi citizens (Muravchik, 30).

In conclusion, when Saudi Arabia spent $36 billion to keep the peace that was good news for the United States, because the Saudi government is America's strongest Arab ally. If Saudi Arabia becomes politically chaotic, it threatens America's military bases in that country, and further shakes up the political situation in the Middle East, which is already shaking like a massive social earthquake has struck the region. What will the political changes in the Middle East mean as far as U.S. foreign policy in that region? That is an open question, but the Obama Administration is focused like a laser on the region and within a year or so there may be answers as to whether some of the newly formed regimes (Egypt, Libya, et al.) will be friend or foe.

Works Cited

Economist. (2011). The Wretched Middle East. 401(8763), 1-3. Retrieved January 23, 2012,

From EbscoHost.com.

Kozhanov, Nikolay a. (2011). U.S. Economic Sanctions Against Iran: Undermined by External

Factors. Middle East Policy, XVIII (3), 144-158.

Muravchik, Joshua. (2011). Neoconservatives and the Arab Spring. Commentary, 132(2), 28-35.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Economist. (2011). The Wretched Middle East. 401(8763), 1-3. Retrieved January 23, 2012,

From EbscoHost.com.

Kozhanov, Nikolay a. (2011). U.S. Economic Sanctions Against Iran: Undermined by External

Factors. Middle East Policy, XVIII (3), 144-158.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Foreign Policy Decisions Are Often Thought of
Words: 1721 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Foreign policy decisions are often thought of as collective events, conceptualized more in terms of sociology, historical patterns, structures, institutions, and culture before the individual psychological variables are considered. Situational and circumstantial variables are considered tantamount to psychological traits, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral cues. Structural perspectives like realism, neoliberalism, and idealism had become more important than focusing on the actual actors making decisions, just as the behaviors of corporations cloud

Foreign Policy Nixon's Detente Description Detente Was
Words: 4534 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Foreign Policy Nixon's Detente Description Detente was a cooling down, or thaw, among America, Russia and China's arms' race (Detente). The United States and Russia could either slow their weapons production or continue the arms race, which, people feared could end in a devastating war (Detente, CNN). Nixon and Henry Kissinger worked secretly on Detente at summit meetings in Beijing and Moscow. President Gerald Ford signed on to Detente in Helsinki in 1975.

Foreign Policy Bureaucracy How Do
Words: 982 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

The U.S. And Russia reportedly have about 90% of all the nuclear weapons in the world. So if this treaty makes sense for both sides, and shows a newfound sense of cooperation between the two nations that were Cold War enemies, why would there be dissention in the U.S. Senate? That question can be answered a couple different ways. For one, there is a very divided and hostile political situation

Foreign Policy in the Caribbean
Words: 587 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

He suggests that other reasons were secondary and complementary to economic goals. First and foremost, Americans were interested in enriching themselves and the policy of the government reflected this goal. Healy agrees that there were economic concerns but he argues that there was multiplicity of goals. He specifically emphasizes that Americans were concerned about German threat to American interests in the region. He also notes that Americans viewed Central Americans

Foreign Policy Towards the Middle
Words: 1428 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

" that one administration official observed, "I can assure you a young generation of terrorists is being created" (Zaharna 2003). At present, "The current [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict is mortgaging the future of both nations. A new generation of Palestinians is coming of age. More than 50% of the population of the West Bank and Gaza is under the age of 15," which means that the U.S. must act now before a new

Foreign Policy Regarding Israel and Palestine
Words: 868 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Foreign policy regarding Israel & Palestine The entire issue of Israel and Palestine is complicated by the position that the state of Israel is Jewish, to whom the Western countries have a guilt complex due to the actions of Hitler, and the fact that Palestine is Islamic and Islamic countries control most of the available petroleum of the world. In looking at foreign policy, the main element of relationship between two countries

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now