Obama Floundering in the Middle East

Due to its huge energy resources, the Middle East has always been an interesting region for other countries. This fact has resulted in interference from extra-regional countries, which has in turn resulted in economic, political and military problems for the region.

There have been repeated efforts by the United States to increase its presence in the region in different ways and using different tools. Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009 as the 44th president while listing the recovery of America’s position in the Middle East as one of his priorities.

His first important step toward this goal was his speech at the University of Cairo in June 2009. Obama even chose a special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, to show his commitment to the region. In addition to diplomatic and political moves, Obama has announced that U.S. national security must include long-term plans for the Greater Middle East. President Obama uses the term “Greater Middle East” when referencing a set of U.S. goals and policies as the basis for future planning.

He made this claim after President Bush used terms like “New Middle East” or “Greater Middle East” and started wars to occupy Iraq and Afghanistan, and stepped up his support of Israel fighting the Palestinian resistance based on these ideas.

The Pressures of the Zionist Lobby

Foreign policy in the Middle East became a major issue for Obama as he entered the second year of his presidency. Though he sent Special Envoy George Mitchell to the region to achieve many U.S. goals, including the restoration of America’s image among Middle Eastern nations, change there has been against his will.

The issue of Palestine and the Middle East peace process has been a major focus for Obama in the region, though Zionists have a strong influence on his policies. Obama has been able to use carrots and sticks to draw some of the more conservative resistance movements — such as the Palestinian National Authority — into the peace process, convincing them to reassess some of their pre-conditions like stopping new settlements and the occupation of the West Bank and Jerusalem. However, the Israelis showed their true face to the world by attacking the aid fleet moving towards Gaza on May 31, killing nine and injuring more, thus stymieing most of Washington’s plans.

American politicians have a traditional dependence on the Zionist lobby and therefore support their desires at any cost. When Obama was speaking about rebuilding America’s position in the Islamic world, he still stressed his support of the Israeli regime. After the Zionists attacked the aid convoy, Obama stood by this regime because of pressure from the Zionist lobby, against America’s national interests and even though the world wanted the Zionists to be punished. Though the Americans made some public criticisms of the murders, in the end they support this regime. Some of American’s activities in support of this criminal act are the vetoing of the U.N. resolution against the attack, the announcement of continuing military aid to Israel, the discussions to prevent the departure of new aid convoys, and the hindering of global efforts to punish the murderer heads of this regime.

America has even started some new activities, like the dispatch of George Mitchell and the shifting from indirect to direct diplomacy, as well as announcing that Palestine is the main focus, which deflects public opinion from other regional problems like the war in Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear pursuits. Americans have stepped up their support of the Zionists at a time when it bears a heavy cost not only for their efforts in the Middle East but across the globe.

The interesting fact here is that even the American people are opposed to White House policies, recently calling for the government to prevent an Israeli ship from reaching the U.S. coast. Pressure from the Zionist lobby to continue support of this regime has put Obama in a difficult situation.

Arabic Dissatisfaction

The Arab countries were trying to bolster Obama’s change policy in the peace process, but after the Zionists attacked the Gaza freedom fleet they realized their strategic miscalculation and had to face those who questioned trusting America in the peace process. The conservative Arab leaders are facing a lot of troubles at home.

The Arab countries did not do much after this Zionist murder — only sending secretary of the Arab League, Mr. Amr Moosa, to Gaza — as they wanted the Americans to react in a way that would calm their populaces. Though the Americans have used the carrot and stick policy successfully in the region, they are now facing a problem in convincing the Arabs to continue cooperating there and in Palestine.

Public Dissatisfaction

America has tried to persuade people in the region and around the world using a variety of propaganda techniques, including visits of high-ranking American politicians to the Middle East and President Obama’s speech at the University of Cairo. But their support of the Zionists, especially after they attacked the aid fleet, has started a wave of anger at Obama, and will strengthen and expand the resistance movement in the whole region. This will certainly hinder America’s peace efforts in the region. It will affect all Americans’ relationships with the Islamic world, continuing the anti-American and anti-Zionist wave around the world.

Conclusion

Considering the new situation in the region, we can say that the America that claims to support human rights and that was trying to revive its position in the region is now stuck in a complex dilemma in which a move in any direction will start a new crisis. In order to achieve its goals, America now has to convince the Zionists on one side, and the Arab leaders and people on the other. In this situation, supporting one of the parties will result in losing the other, with consequences for Washington. Though supporting the Zionists is a major priority for the Americans, failing to understand the current situation in the region will have a heavy cost for Washington; global public opinion is in favor of a change in America’s policies in the region.

The current situation shows that Obama is trapped in a vortex. He is not only unable to implement Greater Middle East policies in the interests of national security, but he is also following Bush’s path of losing ground in the Middle East. Continued support of the Zionist regime is adding to America’s expenses each day, and could make new troubles for him that will create the same fortune Bush saw. In contrast to America, the world has stood up in support of Palestine.