Persistence of External Interest in the Middle East

Research Summary

q       Summarizing the past and current interests and objectives of Europe, Japan, and the United States in the Middle East, the report evaluates the continuing interests of external states in this region.

q       Projecting this stand forward, the study forecasts the persistence of these interests into the future in terms of oil dependencies, trade relations, and Middle Eastern debt to extra-regional powers.

q       The study notes the positive and negative impacts of the external influences with respect to several crucial issues in this region.

q       Taking example of the boundary issues that plague the region, the study observes that this is one of the issues instigated and fostered by the interference of external powers.

q       Moving forward, the study predicts the possible impacts of the external influence on the internal dynamics of the Middle East in addition to suggesting the best stand for the US to deal with the divergent interests of other powers.

q       Discussing about the agents of change, the study analyses the impact of three significant events on this region namely the collapse of the Soviet Union, Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf war, and the initiation of face-to-face Arab Israeli peace talks.

q       The author makes a significant remark that the success of peace settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbors can help in solving problems like boundary and water rights, economic restructuring, ideological competition, demographic stresses, and population problems.

q       A concrete output of the analysis is enabled by the author by discussing the issue of external influence in the region in terms of political, military and economic dimensions.

q       In addition, the future projection of the external influence is analyses with respect to certain most significant issues like increasing security dependence of these countries on the west, expanding arms race, and food and oil dependencies.

q       At the end, contending that the external influence is bound to continue for political, social, cultural, and economic reasons, the author notes it is appropriate for the US to drop its unilateral position with respect to Middle East relationship and develop collective and cooperative policies with other powers.

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