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Middle East and International Relations
Introduction
The Middle East stands out as one of the most volatile region in the context of global politics due to increasing levels of political instability, lack of democracy and uneven economic development. The state of its international religion is worsened by the fact that the region is famously known for hosting terrorist organizations and is a hub for terrorist activities, some of which are even sponsored by the state. Despite this state, the Middle East region has a major role to play in the global economy with regard to the supply of oil. This makes it a potential interest in the studies of international relations. Some of the sources of the regional conflicts include the Arab-Israeli conflicts, the continuing struggle for Palestine to attain statehood and peace process that us being undertaken in the region. The potential effects associated with Islamic revivalism in the Middle East region cannot be ignored when assessing the future of international relations issues in the region. In the light of this view, the objectives of this paper is threefold: to determine the moist dominant theme in the study of Middle East today and in the future, determine whether the Middle East will continue to be a United States foreign policy agenda and whether the European Union will compete against the role of the US in the region; and the reasons to fear or welcome the Middle East future.
The most dominant the in the study of Middle East today and in the future
One of the most likely dominant themes in the study of Middle East at present and the future is with regard to Islamic revivalism, which is an instance of a defensive social and political movement that has the main objective of resisting western influence, foreign manipulation and domestic disquiet. Islamic revival started during the 1970s as an attempt to revive the Islamic religion within the Islamic world. Despite the fact that this manifestations are widely evident, the Islamic revival is not considered a monolithic movement and cannot be reduced to militant fundamentalism that aims to capture the interest of the media. It is notable that most of the global historical powers such as Japanese, Chinese and Europeans have had successful attempts in regaining their global influence; this is not the case for Muslims. Therefore, Muslims from the Middle East region are aiming at regaining their global influence through ensuring that their culture and identity is preserved and that the Muslim states do not succumb to the western hegemony. The underlying motivations for Islamic revivalism and their potential outcomes have played an integral role in shaping the current and the future trends in Middle East international relations. In fact, there is increasing tension in region that exists between nationalism and religion. In the Islamic world, there is underlying dissatisfaction associated with the offerings of the materialistic society that is mostly consumer oriented, and the increasing failures of the countries governments to provide their citizens with more than just a combination of technological fixes that results to the inefficiency of the socio-economic and political institutions in the region.
The issue of Islamic revivalism is not considered an enemy to the west. In fact, it does not wholly comprise of a religious movement or nor does it serve to instill some fear and attain expansion. The Islamic revivalism is aiming at the restoration of an old civilization and not the creation of a new empire. The significant issue when it comes to Islamic revivalism is its comparative perspective, something that is mainly attributed to the differences in the global religious revivalism that has the capability of critiquing the liberal democratic frameworks. As a result, it creates diverse tendencies and perspectives of Islamic revivalism and their different goals and objectives. The core issue in relation to Islamic revivalism is that the fact that the movement is powerful and multifaceted and has an effect on the daily lives of the Muslims in the Middle East. There is a significant diversity within the numerous Islamic groups, which serves to indicate the local, national and economic goals of the movement. It can be argued that extremism and terrorism were born out of the aspect of Islamic revivalism. This is mainly due to the widely accepted view that terrorists perceive the United States as a potential threat to the cultural values and identity of the Islamic religion, and they view it as it was their holy mission to protect their religion and undertake whatever steps that are necessary including terrorism to ensure that Islam as a religion is not corrupted under the influence of terrorism. In the light of this view, it is arguably evident that cases associated with attacks on Islamic states and foreign manipulation is an undermining of the religion and the political ideologies that the religion embraces. The Middle East has been in the forefront of Islamic revivalism and this is attempts to explain their constant conflicts with the United States, who are perceived as the advocates of westernization.
Whether the Middle East will continue to be a foreign policy agenda
The United States foreign policy agenda in the Middle East is something that is bound to continue. For instance, Iraq is increasing assuming the attention of the United States under the various administrations. The Middle East policy agenda clearly states that provided violence and instability will be prevalent in Iraq; the United States will deploy a proactive democracy agenda. The basic argument is that the current happenings and future events will dictate the trends of the foreign policy agenda of the United States in the Middle East. The continuity of the foreign policy agenda in the Middle East is mainly due to increasing cases of violence witnessed at Gaza and West Bank, renewed political instability in Lebanon, regional instability and the increasing regional influence of Iraq. From the United States perspective, it is embarking to pursue a policy that will result to a breakthrough on most of the outstanding issues facing the Middle East. Some of the Middle East states are of a different opinion and cite that foreign influence of the United States is an intervention to the normal running of the domestic affairs. These divergent views will be cyclic provided the Islamic fundamentalism maintains its stand against the western influence within the domestic political and socio-cultural sphere.
The European Union also places its strategic importance in the resolution of the Arab Israeli conflict and states that this is needed for addressing the issues that are facing the Middle East. The EU foreign policy objective is two-fold: to establish a Palestinian state that is democratic and independent and its peace establishment with Israel. This goal is convergent with the goals of the United States in the peace building efforts aimed at solving the conflict between the Arabs and Israeli. The EU is of the opinion that peace in the Middle East needs a widespread regional solution and supports the peace talks aimed at establishing peace between Israel and Syria and Lebanon. Despite the fact that peace in the Middle East is a priority for the Middle East, it distances itself with intervention strategies adapted by the United States.
Reasons to fear or welcome the Middle East in Future
The stability of the Middle East is paramount, owing to the fact that it has a massive geo-political and economic influence, especially with regard to the supply of oil; which is a core requirement in driving the global economy. In addition, stability in the United States implies that the allies of the region will have a more inclined policy towards the United States. This is one of the potential reasons to welcome the Middle East. However, the significant fear is the manner in which the United States regulates its foreign policy and influence in the region. The United States may have good intentions, but Islamic states may be of a different viewpoint that the US is meddling and interfering with the operations of independent Islamic states. This divergent policy serves as a motivation for terrorist activities. Another area of concern is whether a stable Middle East will be devoid of uneven socio-cultural and economic development. Therefore, it is important for the United States to adopt a foreign policy agenda that is more inclined towards supporting the peace establishment process instead of adopting an imposed policy.
Works Cited
Jack, Covarrubias and Lansford Tom. Strategic interests in the Middle East: opposition and support for US foreign policy. New York: Ash Gate Publishing, 2008.
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