Post 9/11: The Obama Administration

You are warned to stand by for an important announcement at fifteen-thirty. Fifteen-thirty! This is news of the highest importance. Take care not to miss it.” (Orwell, 289)

America has been a great benefactor to the state of Israel. However, America should not support Israel unconditionally because it generates deep hatred from Arabs and that the government of Israel has shifted away form the democratic ideal and beliefs of America. The unconditional support of America towards Israel has caused Arab terrorist groups to hate and kill citizens of the United States. Also Israel’s has turned away from a democratic ideal that grants equal rights to all citizens.

In the past few decades till now, the United States foreign policies were an important factor to deal with many issues around the globe. Starting from the Security Council ending with the country policy, the United States has made many decisions that took negative effect on the country’s security and its relations with other countries. The reason behind these negative effect is the United States foreign policies especially toward the Middle East. These policies are greatly affected by the Israeli lobby in the United States. As John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs at Harvard University 's John F. Kennedy School of Government, mentioned in a documentary published by London Review of Books under the name of “The Israeli Lobby”. They say, “the thrust of US

OPEC consists of oil producing countries, and a survey conducted in the year 2008 revealed that OPEC accounts for 58% of the globe's crude oil products. This has contributed to growth of its member states to becoming the world's rapidly growing consumers of oil. Therefore, having OPEC member states as significant consumers of oil has a significant impact on the volume of their oil exports globally affecting their oil revenue; in addition, the decline of availability of oil in the world reflects in the price of oil (AlYousef, 2013). According to the World Oil Outlook, Oil continues to play a vital role in satisfying the globe's energy needs. It also emphasizes the demand uncertainties that challenge future oil in the short-term and long-term. Some of the factors affecting the demand for oil includes policies and technology, particularly in the transportation industry (WOO 2012).

In the 21st century three leading producers of oil; United States with 13.7 million barrels per day, Saudi Arabia with 11.9 million barrels per day, and Russia is extracting 11 million barrels of oil per day in 2015. At the moment 50% of United State’s domestic consumption is met by the oil it produces while the other 50% must come from foreign oil to meet demands. The U.S. imports almost as much oil as we produce. Saudi Arabia is the world leading exporter of oil and heads OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). It is the world’s most powerful group because it controls 80% of the world’s oil and therefore is extremely influential in country’s economic system. The policies developed by OPEC directly affect the production of oil globally. It was formed at the Baghdad Conference in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Venezuela alone harbors 20% of the world’s oil. As OPEC memberships of countries were suspended other countries joined. Today, 13 member countries: Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. These countries bare the unalienable right to manage their natural resources in the interest of their progress as a nation under the “Declaratory Statement of Petroleum Policy in Member Countries” adopted by OPEC in 1968. OPEC aims to “co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure

Nuclear proliferation among great powers is not a top security concern because nuclear deterrence is robust. However, nuclear proliferation becomes a greater security threat as terrorist organizations in the Middle East acquire nuclear weapons. Radical, undemocratic leaders hold less value for the lives of populations and are less likely to follow the logic of nuclear deterrence. The United States must counter radical threats and prevent the use of nuclear weapons by unstable terrorist organizations through a strategy of preemption and hegemony, promoting democracy, and assassinating leaders. Moreover, the United States has to address cyber threats, asymmetric tools used by terrorists to recruit followers and potentially cause physical

Modern political discourse in the United States, particularly in the realm of foreign policy (whether it occurs in the academic community, political institutions, or in the press), has increasingly become more focused on the Middle East region. The United States continues view the Middle East as an area of instability in which the country’s economic interests, particularly oil, are often threatened and at risk. The on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted over sixty years, is a prime opportunity for the United States to take initiative in both protecting its interests in the Middle East region as well as forming stronger alliances with Arab states through the process of cooperation via negotiation. Careful analysis of the history and strategies utilized in the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians reveals that Israel 's policy of deterrence and military dominance over Palestinians is in fact oppressive and unjust at times (and that Palestinian resentment is a rational response). The United States ' decision to continually support Israel with substantial aid (backed by public opinion and taxpayers) severely damages the United States ' reputation with Arab countries in the region; limiting the United States ' effectiveness in foreign policy in the region as a whole. In order to protect United States interests, bring more stability to the area, and encourage more cooperation between Arab states and the United States in the Middle East, the

Israel is an extremely valuable ally in a region with significant strategic importance. Strong support from the U.S. provides Israel with more freedom in the region. The ability of the United States to depend on the partnership within an area of so much strife allows them to influence the region with their own interests in mind. Right of entry to their ports in the Mediterranean Sea provides the U.S. easy access to the coastal borders of Egypt and Libya, and working together to counter enemy air threats benefits both countries (Blackwill & Slocombe, 2011). Surrounded by conflict and terrorism, Israel proved it was worthy of the U.S.’s support with its strong values and cultural history.

Terrorist attacks similar to the one experienced in 2001 have left a number of Americans concerned over the likelihood of future terrorist attacks and their potential impacts, as well. Such attacks have increased the level of uncertainty regarding what may happen, which only serves to heighten anxiety and stress levels. Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), which include chemical, biological, and radiological weapons, have increased the likelihood of incidents of terrorism in America (Friedmann, & Cannon, 2009, p. 9). The possibility of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda employing WMDs against Americans is very real. A WMD may be defined as a weapon that has the capacity to cause grievous harm and/or destruction and death on a grand scale

Like most of foreign policy decisions, it rationalized by moral, yet there is little evidence that moral imperatives play more of a determining role in guiding U.S. policy in the Middle East than in any other part of the world. Most Americans do share a moral commitment to Israel’s survival as a Jewish state . They share the same values on religion belief and it tight them strongly since the beginning. Other than that, Israel has predominant air force throughout the region, Israel's intelligence has assisted the US intelligence in covert operations, Israel also has missiles capability to reach as far as Soviet Union's and has nuclear arsenal of hundreds weapons that already cooperated with US military industry

The Middle East is a major source of oil which the world depends upon for now and future success of their respective countries. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) recognizes this needs and the

Countries in the Middle East and Africa are the main source of East Asian countries’ crude oil supplier, For example, by 2011,

Oil is an essential element to our modern community. People need oil to fill up their tanks for their car, light up their light bulbs at home, and much more. Most of the world’s oil have got imported from the Middle East, in Arab countries. The oil crisis has led America on the road of not depending on other countries imported goods, and try to create their own with their own resources, this is one reason why America is the top economy country in this world. In American history, Americans recognize three oil crisis, or energy crisis, which happened in the years of 1973,1979, and 1990.

As the narrative commonly begins, oil prices are way down. Way way down. In fact, since June 2014, the price of a barrel of oil has been cut in half reaching levels last seen during the bottom of the 2009 recession. The causes of such rapid declines are best attributed to a simple supply and demand model. On the supply side, domestic oil production has doubled in the last six years. As the world’s largest crude oil consumer in the world, the US was once a large and reliable buyer of foreign oil. But with domestic demand for foreign oil waning, exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Algeria have had to find new

The United States of America has for centuries been confronted with many situations of terror. However, these situations had never before the 2001 September attack made Americans feel anxious about their safety. Most times that American security was threatened, the war was conventional, and the country’s military was always prepared for the attacks. However, the 2001 September terrorist attack awakened America to an age of unconventional terror and heightened anxiety. The aftermath of the attack forced the USA to change its view and tactics of dealing with terrorism drastically. Having identified the need to deal with terrorism from its roots, president’s Bush administration declared war on terror with the aim of bringing Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden to justice and to stop further attacks and existence of other terrorist groups.