The Impact of Arab Variables on the US Position

It is no secret that among Arabs there is current state of apprehension and even fear over the variables that could arise with regional development. Without a doubt, the developments in the Middle East have imposed themselves on the U.S. political agenda, in light of the impact of these changes on American interests. This impact was compounded following the assassination of U.S. Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens, which occurred against the backdrop of protests throughout the region.

U.S. observers recognize that the problems in the Middle East will not be resolved within the next four years, and it is possible that matters will get worse before they improve. Therefore, the principal question facing the current U.S. administration is to what extent it will seek to lessen the region’s troubles, and what assistance it will offer in order to move from the least favorable path to the most favorable.

The challenges facing the administration cannot be ignored; they have begun to impose themselves on the political scene. Among these is finding the best method for investing in resources in a way that establishes democracy and stability in the region while also serving U.S. interests.

Additionally, it is crucial to not adopt any stance that could harm these interests, as well as encouraging an open dialogue policy with all revolutionary factions in Arab society without exception. Further, it is important to reconcile issues related to regional security problems on one hand with democracy and reform on the other, as well as maintaining a dialogue with different Islamist groups; failing to do so may harm U.S. interests in that the political environment will develop and create a pluralistic and competitive environment among the Arab societies that are in the midst of political storms.

Such are the challenges facing the U.S. in 2013. Even though the Arab world from the Gulf to the Atlantic is one of the most carefully monitored regions by the U.S. in hopes of safeguarding its interests, and even though the winds of change came at the dawn of 2011, Arab regimes preoccupied with suppressing the protests in their streets are afflicted with a state of apprehension, particularly in that they feel that they are protected by those who keep them in power. This is in the context of private accounts and equations that adopt a theory of favoring private interests in exchange for the repression of peoples.

What the Arab people lived through for 40 years was not stability, even after two years of change, but a transitional state tinted with indications of the stages to come.

In the true concept of politics, 40 years of political tyranny, exclusion, youth disaffection and economic monopolizing have passed, all within an environment rife with all manner of corruption. And after two years of a tense Arab Spring, the relics of policies from the last 40 years are making the realization of a true civilian state, built on the basis of pluralism, ever more elusive. Thus it is imperative to work with the youth base and to foster individual autonomy and equal opportunities. This will not take place unless new policies are instituted and supported; if not, the people will go the way of chaos.