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The Politically Incorrect Guide to U.S. Interests in the Middle East
(Foreign Policy) Aaron David Miller - What are America's vital national interests in the Middle East today? To keep commerce free (meaning oil), the U.S. supports the authoritarian Saudi kings. To keep the region secure, it backs the repressive Khalifa monarchy in Bahrain, which gives the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet the port access that allows it to project power across the Gulf. And to stand up for Israel, the U.S. gives the Egyptian military $1.3 billion per year to protect the peace treaty. The U.S. has a number of vital national interests that it really cares deeply about and is prepared to use force to protect. Its main interest is stopping an attack on the U.S. with conventional and unconventional weapons. Americans are safer since the 9/11 attacks - but not safe. There are still transnational groups that want to inflict catastrophic harm on the U.S. The U.S. military will whack bad guys with drones whenever it can, regardless of the protestations of local governments. On the issue of a conflict-ending agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, every previous breakthrough was preceded by some act that the locals initiated. Unless that ownership is present, the U.S. should stop pretending that it can somehow fix this.