No new orientation or policy adopted by the USA cannot be addressed in any way apart from the flexible philosophy governed by the ruling elites, institutions or individuals, which keeps pace up with the international changes and interactions, without prejudice to the interests of Washington’s partners or undermining its projects for growth, advancement and stability. However, such prejudice and undermining are unfortunately noted on the ground, particularly with regard to our Arab region. Despite the long standing close relationship with the most prominent power worldwide “the USA” to the extent of the establishment of strategic alliances; the USA always gives absolute priority to its interests and benefits, as well the interests of Israel, which the West established in the Arab region and consolidated its existence in the international community. In addition, the USA turned Israel into an instrument to implement its policies in the region, and meanwhile, it adopted an attitude implying paradox, where Washington gives priority to Israel, in terms of area, geographic and demographic consideration, and it is keen on fulfilling the entire of Israel’s political, military, economic and other needs to ensure its supremacy over its Arab neighbors by virtue of an agreement of strategic alliance concluded between the two countries, whereby Washington is committed to protect Israel’s security and to maintain its existence.
Some of the pillars of the US strategic thinking towards the Arab region are the consolidation of the principle of preservation of the US interests, filling vacuums expeditiously and protecting its allies, mainly Israel. Before September 11, 2001 attacks, the USA employed the human rights and democracy pretext for intervening in the affairs of the Arab region countries. But after these attacks, the USA adopted the strategy of preventive war or proactive war, where it occupied Iraq and invaded Afghanistan, and the Arab countries were dividing into USA’s allies or enemies.
After the Arab uprisings, the USA dealt with each case separately and it adapted its positions in accordance with the event requirements, in order to ensure the preservation of strategic interests in the region and the interests its allies and friends.
Some changes contributed to the change of the USA’s policy from the intensive engagement stage to flexible engagement. These changes are represented in the changes in energy balances, where the USA sought to achieve self-sufficiency during the year 2020, and actually it did so, as well as to become oil exporting country during the period from the year 2025 to 2020. Moreover, the USA headed towards Asia with the purpose of maintaining the power balance in this region after it left the countries of the region of fall prey to the internal conflicts and wars it created. The USA has sought also to reduce its military expenditures due to the massive financial crises faced by the US economy and for being unable to exhaust its resources in new wars.
The USA’s orientation towards the Arab region cannot be considered apart from the USA’s major strategy and its general parameters, which the strategic thinker “Bruno Colson” addressed by saying “The USA’s strategic objectives have remained fixed 50 years ago. These objectives are elimination of the powerful rivals or undermining them, whether they are friends or enemies, in order to maintain its superiority and to preserve the national security, the US territories and the vital interests in the different regions.
Through its policy that seems confused, the USA seeks somehow to create the proper environment and the available pretexts to tighten its grip over the Arab region and to retain its flagrant, sometimes legalized, interference in the internal and external general affairs of the countries of this region, as well as to create justifications and pretexts for its direct and active presence to implement its strategies towards the region. However, these strategies fluctuate between intensifying or limiting its presence in the context of its continued keenness on having constant presence in the scene in the Middle Ease area in general and the Arab region in particular.
The USA’s policy towards the Arab region has not been changed, even if the tactics are changed by the change of the US administrations that, in turn, consolidate the US principles and follow them strictly. The objective remains the same, namely to seize control of the region, in order to maintain its interests and those of its allies, to preserve Israel’s security and to shape the map of the region in a way helping to achieve these objectives. The USA has never conceal this approach in its official statements, and it never compromises its objectives in the region, whether through undermining the regimes defying the US policy and supporting the countries cooperating with the USA.
The current US administration should recognize that the policy of underestimating the countries and peoples of the Arab region will lead to nothing but more violence and instability. The US policy relies on retaining the crises and conflicts in the region and pushing them to generate new crises, in order to render the crises of the region into complex, interwoven ones that are difficult to understand and insolvable, where the crisis gives a rise to a new crisis with a new reason for the continuous direct USA’ hegemony over the Arab region. By this policy, the interests of the USA and its sole ally in the region “Israel” are achieved.
The US administration adopts one principle, which is defending and preserving its strategic interests in the Arab region, through using all methods and means available, whether the military instrument, the technological hegemony or the economic sanctions, as each case may require.
In conclusion, it can be said that the USA’s strategy aims mainly at preserving the US national security and protecting its vital interests in the different regions, together with the associated political, economic, military and security objectives serving its higher national interest and its tendency to imperialism and hegemony over the whole world. This require the Arab countries to adopt strategies serving the Arab’s national interest, in order to achieve their objectives and interests and to maintain their identity and history on one side and their ability to confront the Western plots in general on the other side.
Dr. Ahmed El-Shahat
Regional and international security advisor
elshahat2073@gmail.com
