US MIDDLE EAST VISION

Middle East has been an area of utmost strategic importance in US policy in the post-World War II period.

- Dr Khushnam PN

The Cold War strategy, Presidential Doctrines, security commitments to Israel and its elaborate network of military bases and 5th Fleet in Bahrain and CENCOM forward base at AI Udeid base, Doha are its manifestations.

The recent decades have witnessed a gradual reduction of US interests and drawdown owing to its strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific. With the the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and Ukraine war and the Gaza crisis underway, responses of the US allies in the region and strategy of global powers towards the region namely the US, China, Russia and India are also witnessing considerable changes. The central intent of the paper is to analyze the US moves, strategies and responses to understand its vision in this strategic region, important for its global primacy in the emerging World Order.

Recent US Initiative for a New Order in the Middle East

As part of its strategic shift to the IndoPacific, the US vision has been to build a US-led order in the region with the strategic cooperation of its Arab allies with Israel against the Iranian threat. The Abraham Accord was the outcome of such strategic thinking and bears resemblance to the Nixon Doctrine of 1969 in its strategic intents and contents when President Richard Nixon announced that the United States would thereafter support allies facing military threats with economic and military aid rather than with troops on the ground. Israel has now been shifted from European Command (EUCOM) to the CENTCOM which covers all the Arab allies of the region and will enable the US government's commitment to a holistic regional security in collaboration with regional partners. The US National Security Strategy and the US National Defense Strategy, 2022 outline it as "shifting from "U.S.-led, partner-enabled" strategy to "partner-led, U.S.-enabled" strategy.