The United States’ International Policies Focused in Iran and Iraq Essa

The United States’ International Policies Focused in Iran and Iraq After World War II the United States promised to not return to its isolationist attitude, which allowed Hitler to gain so much power. They instead decided to take a very active role in the world’s politics. From Korea to Vietnam, the U.S. proved that it would go to extreme lengths to police the world. The past two decades have seen the U.S. deeply involved in the Middle East as they try to stabilize a region ravaged by ethnic battles and power struggles for the world’s oil supply. America has played integral roles in the skirmishes by either trying to organize a peace process or supporting one or both sides. These actions will have consequences. Just as the British world empire crumbled in the early 1900s, the U.S. has chosen a path of expansionism that if not altered will lead to the disintegration of its world dominance in political and economic power. As we all know history has been known to repeat itself. Thus to justify my hypothesis, we must look at the last country to try to control the Middle East, specifically Great Britain. In 1917 the British began their occupation of Baghdad in order to protect the Arabs from the Turks from the Ottoman Empire. By 1920 the British had not fulfilled their promise to leave the area and the people of southern Iraq responded with military action. The British returned with their own aggression, but soon realized that they could not maintain control over the area. In 1921, a popular election was held and Prince Faisal of Hijaz won with 96% of the ballots. Unfortunately the new king of Iraq inherited a kingdom torn by civil war. To understand this internal struggle, look at how the Kurds make ... ...rman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff because he has been through the Persian Gulf, has learned from the mistakes of the United States and will use his knowledge to prevent another debacle from beginning. Bibliography Atkeson, Maj. Gen. Edward B., â€Å"The Persian Gulf: Still a Vital Interest?† Armed Forces Journal International, Vol. 124, No. 9, April 1987 Brown, Harold, â€Å"Thinking About National Security†, Boulder: Westview, 1983, p. 157 Stocking, George W., â€Å"Middle East Oil: A Study in Political and Economic Controversy†, Nashville: Vanderbilt U.P., 1970 p. 103-106 Stork, Joe, â€Å"Middle East Oil and the Energy Crisis†, New York: Monthly Review Press, 1975 http://i-cias.com/e.o/iraq_4.htm http://www.oppression.org/middleeast/kurdish_history.html http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0859147.html http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/ops/war/iran-iraq.htm