Essay: United States Involvement in the Middle East

It is no secret that the Middle East is in disarray. A combination of fallen regimes, religious-based conflict, and foreign interests in the abundance of natural resources have brewed a perfect storm for chaos. Militant groups such as ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others have only exacerbated the situation. Foreign countries have intervened on behalf of security interests, seeing the threats posed by the spread of these groups. The United States has many interests in the region, and for many reasons, must maintain their presence there in order to realize them.
The United States intervened in 1990 in what later became the the Gulf War. The effort began as Operation Desert Shield, when the U.S. deployed troops in defense of Saudi Arabia, and later evolved into Operation Desert Storm in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The United Nations immediately condemned these actions by posing sanctions against Iraq, and President George H. W. Bush congregated what became the largest alliance since World War II in opposition to the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait. The war was short lived, after a series of bombings lasting 42 days and later the deployment of ground troops pushed out opposition forces within the first 100 hours. President Bush then declared a cease fire on February 28, and most Iraqi opposition had fled or surrendered as a result of the coalition’s military superiority.
This wasn’t the first occurrence of conflict in the Middle East, but it marked the first major U.S. intervention in Middle East affairs; and it wasn’t the last. In March of 2003, the United States, along with its allies invaded Iraq. U.S. President George Bush accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction and having affiliations with the terrorist group al-Qaeda. After a series of bombings, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured by the coalition forces, and was later convicted and sentenced to hang by the Iraqi Interim Government. Though objectively the coalition forces proved to be successful, the collapse of Hussein’s regime only signaled the beginning of what became a nearly decade-long campaign to bring stability to the region. Militant groups formed in opposition to the coalition presence, and further conflict ensued.
In 2011, a series of pro-democracy protests against President Bashar al-Assad ignited civil unrest in Syria. The United States urged the United Nations Security Council to condemn Syria’s oppression and issue sanctions against them. Russia and China vetoed the proposal, signaling a point of tension between the U.S. and Russia in the matter. Concern came after the U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Stephen Ford was attacked by pro-Assad protestors, ultimately leading to the decision to withdraw him due to safety concerns. The conflict grew when al-Assad responded to the protests by deploying security forces, who later opened fire on protestors. The deaths of these people only fueled the opposition, leading to thousands taking to the streets in uproar. Protestors began to take up arms in defense, then later to drive off Assad’s security forces. By June 2013, 90,000 people had been killed in the conflict according to the United Nations. ( BBC  )
Russia, Iraq, and Iran supported the Syrian government militarily and financially. The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah also later intervened on behalf of Syria. In 2013, hundreds were killed by rockets filled with sarin after being fired in areas of Damascus. Though Syria denied allegations claiming their involvement, critics claim that only the government would have access to that type of weaponry. Following these attacks, President Assad agreed to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons, fearing U.S. military intervention. (  BBC  )
Capitalizing on these events, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has spread throughout parts of Syria, in addition to several other countries in the region. ISIL is a Salafi jihadist militant group with ties to al-Qaeda. Though there are similarities between these two groups, their ideologies differ vastly. al Qaeda primarily targeted the United States, whereas ISIL focused on apostate Shi’ite regimes such as Bashar Assad’s government in Syria. (  Business Insider ) ISIL has also been more successful in its efforts through extensive use of social media, attracting thousands to join their organization.
ISIL first gained traction in 2014 after overthrowing the Iraqi government in Western Iraq. In turn, the United States once again realized its interests in Iraq, and began forming a military front to push the Islamic State out of the country. In a Statement to the American people, President Obama promised to take action against ISIL if needed, when he announced “I’ve directed our military to take targeted strikes against ISIL terrorist convoys should they move toward the city.” ( Whitehouse.gov  )
In 2015, ISIL was responsible for a sizable portion of the deaths in Syria, though the majority come from Assad’s regime at around 75%, with many of those identified as civilians. (  IBT  ) Figures such as these call for the immediate condemnation and removal of Assad’s government. Russia however, would disagree. As stated earlier, Russia has provided aid to Assad from the very beginning. But why? One article notes “Moscow has counted an Assad-led Syria as its closest ally in the Arab world for more than forty years.” ( Middle East Voices   ) Additionally, thousands of Russians were living in Syria at the beginning of the protests in 2011. Furthermore, Syria contains the only Russian military base outside of Moscow, establishing it as an important foothold in the Middle East. (  Middle East Voices  ) So it is not difficult to see why Russia has interests in maintaining a regime in Syria that they have deep roots with.
All of these laid the foundation for a proxy war between the United States and Russia. Indeed, we have seen signs of a proxy war in recent bombings conducted by Russia. State Department official Brett McGurk said that Russia was targeting Syrian opposition groups in a testimony before the House Foreign affairs committee in February. “They say they want to fight ISIL and al-Nusra but they are hitting groups that are ready to fight ISIL,”. He continued, “This is where we just have to be honest. 70 percent of their airstrikes are against the opposition and many of those opposition groups are ready to fight ISIL.” ( The Hill  ) Further evidence comes from the flow of arms coming from Russia to Syria. In early 2014, Assad’s regime began to use Russian Smerch and Uragan rockets, as well as MiG-29 fighter jets. ( newsmax )
So what are the United States interests? Aside from removing Assad’s regime and allowing a new government (presumably a democracy) to form, dismantling ISIL is at the top of the U.S. agenda. One of the many reasons the United States needs to maintain a military presence in the Middle East is to combat terrorist groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, as well as other terrorist organizations that may form. With the Islamic state spreading like a wildfire, it is crucial that coalition forces put a halt to their advance before the situation gets out of hand. In January, U.S. Intelligence agencies identified a multitude of ISIL troops moving into Libya. Libya has not had an established government since 2011, when Muammar Gaddafi’s regime was toppled by a joint effort between NATO and the National Transitional Council as a result of an uprising led by the latter. It would be particularly dangerous to allow the Islamic State to gain a stronghold in Libya, seeing that the country is responsible for a large portion of oil exports, and containing the 9th largest oil reserve in the world. (   EIA.gov   ) If ISIL were to gain control of this region, the situation would only worsen as the oil would increase the cash flow within the organization. More importantly, gaining a foothold in Libya would give the Islamic State a geographic advantage over the gulf, and allow the potential expansion of their influence throughout the northern region of Africa.
Following these developments, top aides under Obama’s administration have urged the president to open up a new front against the Islamic State in Libya. After a series of unsuccessful interventions in the region, President Obama was hesitant to deploy troops on another front, and instead opted to review his other options. Concerns rose after an alarming report from the Pentagon revealed the number of ISIL fighters in the area has grown to over 5,000; an estimate that is more than twice as large as previously thought. (  The NYTimes  )
Following a nuclear deal made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran in January, it is important that the United States maintain their presence in the region to respond promptly in the event that the deal is violated. The resolution came as a result of a series of negotiations between Iran and the United Nations Security Council in 2015. The deal allows for Iran to have a nuclear program, but solely for civilian purposes. In order to ensure that Iran isn’t capable of developing a nuclear weapon, precautionary steps have been taken to prevent its creation; such as keeping uranium enrichment levels below 3.67% and limiting research and development of nuclear power over the next few years. (  CNN  ) In return, Iran will receive billions of dollars and the relief of the removal of economic sanctions that have weakened their economy for years.
The deal did not come without harsh criticism. Congressional Republicans touted the deal as a pathway to Iran gaining a nuclear bomb, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal a “stunning, historic mistake”. Netanyahu is especially skeptical of the deal due to a bitter history between Israel and Iran. Relations first became ( ) in 1979 when the Iranian Revolution resulted in the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, and replacement with Ruhollah Khomeini. The new regime severed its relations with Israel, and no longer recognized Israel as a state.
The situation worsened in the early 90’s, and has escalated into hostility. In March, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fired a series of ballistic missiles, to much dismay of the United States and the United Nations. Reports claim that the missiles were fired from silos across the country, which “struck a target 700 km away,” according to Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace arm. Though the United States and French officials said a missile test would violate sanctions, others claim that the missile tests would not violate the resolution if they weren’t capable of carrying nuclear weaponry. ( reuters )