For many decades, much of the focus of the world’s media has been upon the Middle East. Not only is this region famous for the huge oil deposits that give countries in the Gulf their wealth, but the region has played host to some of the bloodiest conflicts in the past thirty years. With periods of peace interrupted by periods of instability, the Middle East has been a focus of US diplomacy for many years now. In this short guide, you’ll learn why that’s the case – and why it matters for you.
Israel and Faith
For many Christians in the US, Israel is home to some of the holiest places on earth. Looking at a map of the country and its surrounding cities, you’ll see names from the Bible, like Nazareth, Bethlehem, and, of course, Jerusalem. These sites are essential to people of all faiths, and many thousands of US citizens visit Israel each year to enjoy the Holy Land.
For this reason, the US is interested in maintaining peace in the Middle East. Israel is also a strong ally to the United States in the Middle East, and the two powers work together, both operationally and with resources, to forge a peace between Israel and its neighbors. This is one of the roots of the Middle East that America is interested in protecting.
Oil-Rich Nations
One of the other significant reasons that the US is incredibly interested in maintaining an active role in the politics of the Middle East is because of its oil. A large percentage of the world’s oil is to be found in the Gulf, and much of this makes its way onto US shores to power industry and fuel vehicles across the length and breadth of the country.
Any interruption of that flow of oil and prices soar in the US, as companies and the government scramble to replace the supply as demand remains the same. As such, instability in this market, which is primarily based in the Gulf, can have huge repercussions for the US and its economy, which is to this day powered by fossil fuels such as oil.
International Threats
While there are many threats spaced across the world, the US has paid attention, in recent decades, on threats emerging from the Middle East – and from Iran in particular. The US and Iran have been engaged in on-off diplomacy for many years, without a conclusion to their dispute over nuclear weapons and trade barriers.
You can discover online how close Iran is to nuclear weapons to see for yourself whether this nation constitutes a threat to the US. What’s certain is that US diplomacy is attempting to neutralize this threat in the region, and to bring Iran in line with international law. This is an ever-developing part of the Middle Eastern story and remains something to watch as successive presidents attempt to tackle global threats like Iran and the potential for nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
These three factors are the key elements that make the Middle East such an essential region for diplomacy in the eyes of the United States.