International Politics the Threat of Term Paper

In all cases there is the perception of the U.S. interfering in issues that should be dealt with locally, interfering to protect their own interest and to enforce their own values; a situation which leads to resistance. Terrorism may be argued as an action undertaken when people feel that they cannot be heard in another way.

This resistance has been seen in terrorist attacks which may be directly related to the associated with the U.S. foreign policy actions in the Middle East. In 1979 there was the Iran Hostage Crisis, when the U.S. embassy in Tehran was seized by Iranian demonstrators, demonstrating against U.S. policies. 52 U.S. staff were taken hostage; in a crisis which lasted 444 days (Houghton 74). The well-known terrorist attacks of 9/11 may also be seen as relating to the actions and perceptions of the U.S. In the Middle East, with Al Qaeda objecting to the U.S. influence and interference in the Muslim world.

Question 2

The U.S. appears to have taken sides in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. To start with the U.S. was party of the body that created the state of Israel in 1947. However, the actions in later years appear to support the state against their neighboring enemies, as seen with the supply of arms against Syria and Egypt in the Yom Kippur war, although it may be argued that in the bigger context the U.S.S.R. was supporting Egypt and Syria. However, there has been ongoing military support for Israel since 1973; in 2013 this included a request from the Obama administration for $3.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) (Sharpe 3). When assessing if the U.S. has taken sides, it may be argued that lack of any aid to the Palestinians, which may be seen as indicating a clear bias.

If the U.S. is to help broker peace then it is apparent there is a bias, as the U.S. will come to the negotiating table with preconceptions and requirements that support the Israelis, they do not fulfill the role of a neutral party. This will lessening the potential to broker peace, as it will reduce trust from the Palestinians and may limit the scope and scale of solutions or options which may be explored.

Question 3

US foreign policy is committed to having an influence in the Middle East; this does not mean peace is not desirable; a volatile situation in the Middle East may result in instability in oil supplies and increased expenditure supporting Israel and well as the U.S.'s own security costs. Peace in the area would be good