Obama's Middle East Strategy

2015-03-29T12:52:58-04:00

From "The New York Times"

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/opinion/sunday/ross-douthat-the-method-to-obamas-middle-east-mess.html

The Method to Obama’s Middle East Mess

LET’S recap the state of America’s commitments in the Middle East. Our military is fighting in a tacit alliance with Iranian proxies in Iraq, even as it assists in a campaign against Iranian-backed forces in Yemen. We are formally committed to regime change in Syria, but we’re intervening against the regime’s Islamist enemies. Our strongest allies, officially, are still Israel and Saudi Arabia, but we’re busy alienating them by pushing for détente with Iran. And please don’t mention Libya or Al Qaeda — you’ll confuse everyone even more.

Is there a method here? A Metternichian master plan discernible only to President Obama and his advisers? Not exactly: This administration has been persistently surprised by Middle East developments, and its self-justifications alternate between the exasperated (why don’t you try it if you’re so smart?) and the delusional (as soon as we get the Iran deal, game changer, baby!).

But there is a strategic element in how the Obama White House ended up here. Haltingly but persistently, this administration has pursued a paradigm shift in how the United States relates to the Middle East, a shift from a Pax Americana model toward a strategy its supporters call “offshore balancing.”

In a Pax Americana system, the United States enjoys a dominant position within a network of allies and clients; actors outside that network are considered rogues and threats, to be restrained and coerced by our overwhelming military might. Ideally, over time our clients become more prosperous and more democratic, the benefits of joining the network become obvious, and the military canopy both expands and becomes less necessary.

In an offshore balancing system, our clients are ...

EDITORIAL COMMENT:- Is this sort of like changing from a strategy that you know how to use but also know doesn't work to a strategy that you don't know how to use and don't know if it works?

Face it, the time to "sort out" the Middle East with the least disruption and best results was someplace back around 1920.

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Response by SPC Rory J. Mattheisen made Dec 18 at 2015 7:13 PM

2015-12-18T19:13:22-05:00

There is no such thing as a successful strategy in the middle east, I do not envy any person tasked with leading our country through this.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 19 at 2015 11:54 PM

2015-12-19T23:54:59-05:00

What strategy? The only one is to acquiesce to our enemies.

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Mar 22 at 2016 6:00 PM

2016-03-22T18:00:41-04:00

Yes, poor, poor little Iran. The U.S. is punishing them with $150 billion in sanction relief and real dollars. How much longer must they suffer under our tyranny....? ;-)

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2016 9:29 AM

2016-12-07T09:29:52-05:00

I have to wonder what the couple $ trillion invested in the region would have bought toward energy independence. They've been killing each other over there for a couple thousand years so there's not much likelihood we're going to stop that now. Tell AMCITs and enterprises to stay at their own risk and let the locals sort it out. We stand by and remain prepared to assist with the cleanup effort. Honor our alliances as they apply to the conflict spreading from the region. The "we'd better stop (insert major power) from gaining a foothold" argument last proved successful in WWII. Everything after that cost much blood and treasure and either ended with a cease-fire or retrograde. We are slow learners.

Response by SGT Peter Paden made Jan 5 at 2020 10:43 PM

2020-01-05T22:43:24-05:00

Americans need to understand that the people in the Middle East hate us period, so there is no good way to befriend them other than a position of strength. Iran only shows what they want they presently have major economic issues that the majority of citizens there demonstrate against their leaders only issue there is their leaders don’t believe in freedoms we enjoy like speech. They will rise up against their leaders if they know we will back them up unlike past administration. In a nut shell they will continue to fight amongst themselves over their religious beliefs as they have for thousands of years.