Why the Middle East Matters to the United States

7/17/2019 Why the Middle East Matters to the United States

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Why the Middle East Matters to the United States

The recent shale revolution in the United States has prompted some experts to

claim that the U.S. no longer needs to be involved in the Middle East, because it’s

no longer reliant on foreign oil. Although this is partially true, there are myriad

reasons hy the U.S. must continue to be involved in the region to protect vitalinterests that could have an enormous e!ect on U.S. policy both foreign and

domestic.

"t is true that the United States is less dependent on oil from the Middle East, but a

recent poll found that most Americans are completely oblivious to that fact.

#oliticians constantly claim that the U.S. needs to either $nd reneable energy

sources or drill for oil at home to prevent being economically beholden to the Middle

East. These tactics are a great ay for politicians on both sides to score political

points, but the claims are not based in fact. They are e!ective, hoever, and The

University of Texas recently published a poll shoing that %& percent of Americans

believe that most U.S. oil comes from Saudi Arabia, and another '% percent believeit comes from "ra(. )nly '% percent thin* that the largest share of U.S. oil comes

from +anada and Mexico.

"n actuality, - percent of U.S. oil is imported from +anada and Mexico, and only

percent comes from "ra( and Saudi Arabia. This false perception is important on a

number of levels, but most importantly, it paves the ay for misguided energy and

foreign policy regarding the Middle East. A more *noledgeable electorate ould be



able to ta*e a sober loo* at policy, ma*e better decisions, and elect leaders that can

actually craft viable policies regarding the Middle East. So you may be as*ing, if the

U.S. doesn’t get that much oil from the Middle East, then why is it important / 0ell,

there are a number of reasons, and some of them still revolve around the oil

industry.

Middle Eastern Oil Could Destroy the Dollar

"t is true that the U.S. economy is not as reliant on Middle Eastern oil as it as

tenty years ago, but the +hinese economy is totally dependent on oil from the

region. +hina is also a ma1or holder of U.S. treasury bills, so if their economy ta*es a

big hit due to instability in the region, then the U.S. economy is 1ust as at ris* for a

collapse. +hina is the orld’s largest energy consumer and accounts for over 2

percent of the orld’s consumption. "ts rapid groth has forced it to import over

half of the oil it needs, and it is estimated that +hina’s energy demand ill expand

3% percent in the next % years.

+hina has emerged as a ma1or player in the energy industry and in the Middle East

overall. This has caused many to (uestion hether the dollar ill remain the orld’s

reserve currency in the oil mar*et. The dollar has been the reserve currency since

the '-44 5retton 0oods agreement. The U.S. as able to enact this policy because

it had the orld’s largest gold reserves at the time and the dollar as freely

exchangeable ith gold.

This is no longer the case. The dollar has been signi$cantly ea*ened since the

agreement as signed. This is due in large part to the $nancial crisis of 22&, the



subse(uent policy of 6ero interest rates, and the depletion of the nation’s gold

reserves. Many experts believe that the dollar is no longer viable as the reserve

currency. The only thing currently *eeping it secure in its role is the U.S.

government’s relationship ith Saudi Arabia. The crux of the 5retton 0oods

agreement as a (uid pro (uo understanding that the United States government

ould defend Saudi Arabia, and sell them arms in exchange for the Saudis doing allthey could to *eep the dollar as the reserve currency.

"f the Saudi government ever falls, then the dollar falls ith it and the United States

ill be pushed into a $nancial crisis the li*es of hich has not been seen since the

7reat 8epression. The U.S. must stay involved in the region and insure the safety of

the Saudis and their allies if they hope to prevent a catastrophic mar*et collapse.

Terrorism isn’t going away

9emen is currently a nation in shambles. A civil ar beteen the elected

government and :outhi rebels has torn the country apart and destabili6ed the

region. "f the :outhis ever ta*e full control, then a small group of Shiites ill be

governing a ma1ority Sunni population and the violence ill undoubtedly get orse

before it gets better.

Al ;aeda in the Arabian #eninsula <A;A#= is based in 9emen and is considered

perhaps the al ;aeda a>liated group that poses the greatest threat to the 0est.

A;A# and former leader Anar al?Ala*i have been responsible for some of the

most heinous terrorist attac*s and attempted attac*s on the 0est since ''

September 22'. A fe of the most notable incidents include@

• Umar arou* AbdulMutallab, also *non as the Bunderear bomberC ho

attempted to blo up a commercial airliner in 8etroit trained ith A;A# in

9emen.

• The 5oston Marathon bombers claimed to have been inspired by al?Ala*i

and A;A#

• Didal :assan ho carried out the ort :ood shooting also claimed to be

inspired by al?Ala*i and A;A#’s message.

• +herif ouachi studied at A;A# training camps in 9emen before participating

in the +harlie :ebdo massacre.

The 9emeni +ivil 0ar has given A;A# space to gro and prosper and they are

currently recruiting ne members at a rapid pace. 9emen is not the only hotbed for

terrorism in the region but it is a perfect example of the ris*s associated ith the

U.S. not playing a vital role in the region through diplomatic e!orts. The U.S. needs



stable regimes in the Middle East that are illing to help $ght against terrorist

threats to insure its on security.

The Suez Canal

The Sue6 +anal changed the orld hen it as opened in '&F&. "t is a '22?mile

man?made lin* beteen Europe and Asia that is absolutely vital to the orld

economy. About .% million barrels of oil travel through the canal every day and it is

involved in about &G of global trade.

"f anything ere to ever happen to the Sue6 +anal, large portions of the orld

economy ould completely shut don. 7overnments around the orld understand

its importance, and one of the orld’s oldest active treaties guarantees that the

canal ill alays be open to ships from every nation.

7roing unrest in the Sinai #eninsula and the Sue6 Hegion has put the security of

the canal at ris*, hoever, and the global community must come together to ma*e

sure it can remain open. The urg(uan 5rigades, a militant group in Egypt’s Sinai#eninsula, have the threatened the canal in recent years. They have launched

multiple attac*s ith roc*et?propelled grenades that have damaged cargo and

ships, and contributed to a feeling of unease in the country. This is troublingI

because of the massive damage a shutdon of the canal ould do to the U.S. and

orld economies.

Progress in Biomedical esearch



Too often, e focus solely on terrorism and oil hen discussing the Middle East. This

is most li*ely a product of hat e read in the papers and see on television

nescasts. There is a lot more to the region, hoever, and it’s important to focus on

some of the positive aspects of the Middle East. Scientists in the region have made

great strides in the $eld of biomedicine in the last fe years and continue to be

leaders in treating and curing disease. Just a fe of the recent developmentsinclude@

• )n - September 2'%, Tur*ey ill open its $rst international biomedical and

genome center hich ill or* to develop cures for diseases li*e bird Ku and

+rimean?+ongo :emorrhagic ever.

• A #alestinian doctor in 7a6a recently developed a stethoscope that can be

manufactured via a 8 printer for L2.2 and or*s as ell as the most

expensive models in the orld.

• The $rst autism research center as 1ust founded at :ebre University in Jerusalem.

These advancements may prove vital to the future of medicine not only in the

Middle East but in the orld. Everyone must reali6e that there are other aspects of

the region that are positive for the orld, and stop focusing solely on terrorism and

oil.

The Muslim Dias!ora is "uge

The Middle East is not one and the same ith the Muslim orld. "n fact, if you loo*

at the map belo, you ill see that there are far more Muslims in "ndonesia,

#a*istan, "ndia, and 5angladesh than there are in the Middle East. The map shos a

eighted distribution that ma*es countries appear larger based on the Muslim

percentage of their population.



This is important to *eep in mind hen thin*ing about U.S. policy toards the

Middle East. #olicies have rami$cations that a!ect Muslim that may even be living in

your city. ec*less policies in the Middle East can have a devastating impact on your

neighbors, so it is important to support an intelligent and sober approach to the

region.

So, hy does the Middle East Matter to the United States/ "t matters because e

live in an increasingly global society and the Middle East is one of the ma1or players

on the orld stage not only because of their oil reserves and the threat of

terrorism, but because these countries are made up of people 1ust li*e American

citi6ens ho are trying to prosper, be secure, and contribute to the betterment of

global society. A Middle East collapse hen be a grave threat to the safety andsecurity of every U.S. citi6en, so it’s important for Americans understand the region

and promote policies that are mutually bene$cial to both the Middle East and the

United States.

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Why the Middle East Matters to the United States