Middle East has been on the boil in the recent past due to the rise of ISIS brand of Islamic fundamentalism and the demand for democracy and human rights by people in many Arab countries. The role of America in shaping the Middle East policy has been profound since the decline of UK as the world’s superpower. Being one of the major suppliers of oil and gas to America, Middle East is a place of strategic importance for USA and other western countries. American indirectly controls the Middle East politics by maintaining close ties with the local regimes and through its military bases in Saudi Arabia and countries closer to the Middle East (Germany and Spain). The intelligence agencies of America conduct a number of covert operations in the region. Many of the regime changes that were carried out in the past by America are executed by its intelligence agency CIA.
Involvement of America in the politics of Middle East resulted in a lot of miseries for the people living in that area. Ensuring the continued supply of oil from the Middle East was vital for the smooth functioning of the American economy. In order to guarantee the continuous supply of oil, America has tried to install regimes that are favourable to it. Since it was difficult to deal with democracies, America relied on installing dictators. Regimes that were against to the regime were toppled quickly. A case in point was the toppling of Iran’s democratically elected government led by Mohammed Mosaddegh in 1953.
When the democratically elected government of Iran threatened to nationalize the assets of Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now British Petroleum) the UK and USA governments have toppled Mosaddegh’s government and installed the dictator Shah who worked according to the wishes of the western powers. Shah, who ruled as an absolute monarch for 26 years, and his secret service SAVAK brutalized the country and people till he was toppled by people during the Iranian revolution. While overthrowing democratic regimes and installing dictators who are favourable to the western powers, USA has ensured that the hapless Middle Eastern people remained disenfranchised. Lack of democratic governments made it difficult for the people in Middle East to bring the required changes for improving their welfare.
Even though the indirect western control of the region’s oil wealth brought a lot of economic development in the region, human rights of people were brutally crushed. Many of the region’s small kingdoms which had their origins in the middle ages continued to survive due to the support from American and other western intelligence agencies. Dubai is one of the nations that have seen rapid economic development in the recent past. Dubai has successfully transformed into a unique brand of a global city (Ali 3). From being a relatively unknown Middle East kingdom a few decades back, the kingdom had now emerged as one of the global centres of business. The real estate market of Dubai too has boomed as many multinational businesses set up their branches in Dubai. Despite the economic progress made by Dubai, the people did not enjoy any political rights. The wealth generated from oil remained in the hands of a few aristocratic families and created a lot of economic inequalities in the society. Oil wealth has further strengthened regions dictators and made it easy for them to suppress the rights of local citizens. Instead of guaranteeing any human rights, the local governments in the Middle East tried to keep the people happy by showering them with freebies and subsidies. A significant effect of western intervention in Middle East is the curtailment of the freedoms enjoyed by women. Western powers who had colonies in Middle Eastern countries like Algeria have tried to curtail the rights and freedom of women (Fanon 37). The colonial French administration in Algeria tried to destroy the originality of the Algerian people and culture with the objective of disintegrating the civilization and extending their colonial rule as long as possible (Fannon 38). They saw suppressing the rights of women as a way of demoralizing the region’s population into submission. The local dictators installed by the western powers turned a blind eye to the welfare of women. Women are not allowed to attend universities, do jobs, and even drive cars. Access to good quality education to the children of middle-east too was limited.
Another significant result of western involvement in the Middle Eastern affairs was the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. As the people of Middle East could not get the desired freedoms, they could not found proper avenues to express their dissatisfaction with the rulers. Dictators have put severe restrictions on the individual liberties through the use of secret service and military. As a result, many Islamic fundamentalist organizations have grown in the Middle East. These Islamic fundamentalist groups had the objective of fighting guerrilla warfare against the American forces and force them out of the Middle East. Despite meeting with limited success, many Islamic fundamentalist organizations have attacked the western interests around the world. A number of American interests like aircraft carriers and embassies were attacked by militants linked to these Islamic fundamental groups (NBC News). The activities these groups have reached a crescendo on September 11, 2011 when some of the key American buildings were attacked on its soil.
However, rather than bringing any positive changes to the people of Middle East, these fundamental organizations have brought them a lot of misery and suffering. Insurgencies against the American occupation of Iraq by militant forces like Al Qaeda and ISIS resulted in the death of a number of innocent Iraqi citizens. Responding to the global rise of Islamic terrorism, the American government has started a worldwide war on terror that was spread from Pakistan to European countries. President Bush launched a ‘crusade’ against global terrorism and tried to distinguish between ‘Good Muslims’ and ‘Bad Muslims’. Given that the people of Middle East seek to identify themselves with a single culture, the attempt to distinguish between good and bad Muslims ended up being a futile attempt (Mamdani 15). Caught between the Islamic terrorists on one side and the western forces on the other, a number of innocent people in the Middle East have lost their lives. The current rise of ISIS is now threatening to destabilize the security of many countries in the Middle East (INFOSEC).
The constant meddling of America in the affairs of Middle East made a number of scholars blame it for the region’s problems. American government has always showed American national security as a reason for conducting covert military activities and giving false and misleading information to cover up such operations (Mamdani 99). In order to maintain their living styles, Americans have ensured that puppet regimes that were only interested in getting its leaders rich stayed in power for a long time. The people of the region were disenfranchised and economically dispossessed with little scope for improvement in their quality of life. The intervention by USA in the Middle East affairs had an adverse impact on the region’s rich culture and heritage. In countries like Iran that were ruled by the American controlled dictators for a long period, western culture was forced upon the local population. English education and other elements of western culture profoundly impacted the local culture.
The claim by America that it had toppled the Saddam Hussain’s regime in Iraq for promoting democracy in the region was not accepted by scholars. They opine it as American propaganda for fulfilling its selfish objectives. The only saving grace is the opposition from the ordinary people regarding the continued western intervention in the Middle East. Just like in the case of the Vietnam War, widespread opposition regarding the actions of America in the Middle East has recently made the Obama administration to reverse some of its policy decisions in the area. Many American citizens feel ashamed regarding the immense destruction caused by the American invasion of Iraq. After a decade of occupation of Iraq, the country is yet to have a fully functioning democracy in place (Filkins).
The increased energy self-sufficiency of USA due to exploration of shale gas and shale oil reserves is making it less reliant on oil supplies from the Middle East. According to some estimates, USA is one the verge of emerging as the top global producer of oil by overtaking the current market leaders like Russia and Saudi Arabia. Many analysts have opined that as Americans start relying less on oil supplies from Middle East, its active interference in the region’s politics is bound to decrease. Shale oil revolution coupled with the rising demand for less intervention by western powers in Middle East might allow the growth of liberty and human rights in the region.
The recent Arab spring enabled people from the area to rise against the region’s dictators. As America started to lessen its focus on the region, people revolted against their rulers. Immediately after the overthrow of some the western appointed dictators, an immense wave of anti-imperial activity had overtaken the role of western culture in Middle Eastern countries (Said 195).
Works Cited
Ali, Syed. Dubai: Gilded Cage. Yale University Press: London, 2010. Print.
Fanon, Frantz. A dying colonialism.Grove Press: New York. Print.
Filkins, Dexter. “What we left behind.” The New Yorker. 28 April, 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
INFOSEC. “What is ISIS and Why is it Menacing the World.” nd. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Mamdani, Mahmood. Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and Roots of Terror. Pantheon: London, 2004. Print.
NBC News.“Al-Qaeda Timeline: Plots and Attacks.” nd.Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Said, Edward.Culture and Imperialism.Vintage Books: New York. Print.
