Name Institution Course Academic term Critical thinking paper Although the United States and the Middle East are physically apart, the United States has influenced the region more than any other country in the world. From strategic interests, competition with the Soviet Union and now Russia, American relationship with the region has ranged from diplomatic friendship to costly wars. Strong cultural ties between the United States and the Middle East, its economic interest in pursuit if the region’s oil reserves and the question of American- Israeli relations have also contributed to America’s foreign policy towards the region and how Arabs view Americans. The top three issues that have significantly contributed to my understanding of this course are the Palestine -Israeli conflict, the war on terrorism, and prevention of nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass destruction. The Palestine-Israel conflict is perhaps one of the main issues that have contributed to the understanding of the relationship between the United States and the Middle East. This conflict started in 1917 when Britain was given the mandate to create a national home for the Jews by the Balfour declaration. The Arabs resented the movement of Jews into their land, while the Jews claimed that Palestine was their original home. After the Holocaust, the United Nations divided the region of Palestine into two states, one for the Arabs and the other for Jews, but the Arabs rejected the move and a series of conflict started. This conflict has been characterized by terror raids into Israeli territories and Israeli reprisals[footnoteRef:2]. [2: Mark Green, ed., Persecution, Privilege & Power: Reconsidering the Zionist Narrative in American Life, Thirty Essential Articles on the Most Pressing Issue of our Time (2007):] This conflict is of major significance to American relationship with the Middle East because the United States has continuously supported what the Arabs call the Zionist regime, while Arab nations have always backed Palestine. American support for Israel has come in the form of foreign aid and military equipment, but this has made American relationship with other Arab countries and Palestine a problematic one[footnoteRef:3]. The United States stance to veto an appeal for the creation of an Islamic state by Mahmuod Abbas has contributed to worsen the relationship between the United States and the Middle East. Israel has been accused of killing Palestinians, destroying villages, restricting movement in the West Bank region, destroying olive gardens, assassinating Palestinian leaders and continuing with settlement of Palestinian territories. These acts have been condemned by Arabs nations as acts of terrorism and since the United States is a key ally of Israel, Palestinians perceive it as supporting acts of terrorism. [3: Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt. 2007. The Israel lobby and U.S. foreign policy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. http://catalog..

1. Name
Institution
Course
Academic term
Critical thinking paper
Although the United States and the Middle East are physically
apart, the United States has influenced the region more than any
other country in the world. From strategic interests, competition
with the Soviet Union and now Russia, American relationship
with the region has ranged from diplomatic friendship to costly
wars. Strong cultural ties between the United States and the
Middle East, its economic interest in pursuit if the region’s oil
reserves and the question of American- Israeli relations have
also contributed to America’s foreign policy towards the region
and how Arabs view Americans. The top three issues that have
significantly contributed to my understanding of this course are
the Palestine -Israeli conflict, the war on terrorism, and
prevention of nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass
destruction.
The Palestine-Israel conflict is perhaps one of the main issues
that have contributed to the understanding of the relationship
between the United States and the Middle East. This conflict
started in 1917 when Britain was given the mandate to create a
national home for the Jews by the Balfour declaration. The
Arabs resented the movement of Jews into their land, while the
Jews claimed that Palestine was their original home. After the
Holocaust, the United Nations divided the region of Palestine
into two states, one for the Arabs and the other for Jews, but the
Arabs rejected the move and a series of conflict started. This
conflict has been characterized by terror raids into Israeli
territories and Israeli reprisals[footnoteRef:2]. [2: Mark
Green, ed., Persecution, Privilege & Power: Reconsidering the
Zionist Narrative in American Life, Thirty Essential Articles on
the Most Pressing Issue of our Time (2007):]

2. This conflict is of major significance to American relationship
with the Middle East because the United States has continuously
supported what the Arabs call the Zionist regime, while Arab
nations have always backed Palestine. American support for
Israel has come in the form of foreign aid and military
equipment, but this has made American relationship with other
Arab countries and Palestine a problematic one[footnoteRef:3].
The United States stance to veto an appeal for the creation of an
Islamic state by Mahmuod Abbas has contributed to worsen the
relationship between the United States and the Middle East.
Israel has been accused of killing Palestinians, destroying
villages, restricting movement in the West Bank region,
destroying olive gardens, assassinating Palestinian leaders and
continuing with settlement of Palestinian territories. These acts
have been condemned by Arabs nations as acts of terrorism and
since the United States is a key ally of Israel, Palestinians
perceive it as supporting acts of terrorism. [3: Mearsheimer,
John J., and Stephen M. Walt. 2007. The Israel lobby and U.S.
foreign policy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/144227359.html.
]
America’s support for Israel is mainly rooted in cultural ties
between the two countries. There are many American citizens
with Israeli ties and most of them are represented in American
public life. Israeli lobby groups have been influential in
ensuring that America’s support for Israel remains
strong[footnoteRef:4]. This is evidenced by the interest
generated by America’s foreign policy towards Israel during
presidential debates. The resentment of America by Arabs is
also shown by demands by terror groups that Israel stops
atrocities against Palestinians. It is clear the United States must
adopt a balanced approach towards the conflict in order for it to
improve its image in the eyes of the Arabs. [4: Yes, It's the
Lobby: "Political Fear" Drives US Support for Israel

3. http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/pg-abourezk.html]
The war against terrorism has also contributed significantly
towards my understanding in this course. The events of
September 11, 2001 have defined the relationships between the
United States and the Middle East. Since then, the United States
has engaged in an anti-terrorism agenda that included attacking
Iraq and overthrowing the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan[footnoteRef:5]. These countries were seen as
supporting al-Qaeda and other terror organizations that pose a
security threat to the United States and its allies. However, the
war on terror has been waged in a manner that targets Islamic
countries and profiles Muslims as terrorists. The war on terror
has made citizens of targeted countries victims of military
action by the United States and its allies. The application of the
euphemistic term “collateral damage” has made citizens of these
countries hostage to the global war on terror[footnoteRef:6].
American bombs have killed innocent women and children,
disseminated entire villages and cases of American troops
abusing innocent civilians and suspected terrorists have been
reported[footnoteRef:7]. These acts have helped to strengthen
the view among Muslims that the United States is targeting
Islam and not terrorism. Bombings carried out by the United
States do not discriminate against ordinary citizens and
terrorists and this has solidified the view by many Muslims that
the acts carried out by the United States are not different from
those by terrorists. This view has been exploited by terror
groups such as Al Qaeda to portray the United State’s war on
terrorism as against Islam and not terror groups. Coupled with
the economic challenges faced by many youths in Islamic
countries, joining terror groups remains the only option of
fighting a worthy cause. The support for the war on terror in the
Muslim world has strained the relationship between the United
States and the Middle East because of the Palestine conflict. To
many Arabs, the United States has sufficient powers over
Israel’s foreign policy in terms of drawing clear lines and

4. structuring vital outcomes that have long-term regional
implications. This implies that the United States is partly held
responsible for the acts of Israel against Palestinians and this
brings outs the view among many Muslims that the United
States is selective in it war against terrorism. [5: "Saudi Cleric
Issues Warning Over Militants," Asharq Alawsat", 01/10/2007:
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=10386] [6:
Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_N4BcaIPY] [7: "Why
Do They Hate Us?"--The Palestine-Israel Conflict and the
United States:
http://faculty.indstate.edu/melyassini/Geography%20of%20the%
20Palestine-Israel%20Conflict%20and%20the%20USA--
Why%20Do%20They%20Hate%20Us.pdf
]
The question of Iran’s nuclear ambition and American stance is
another issue that contributes in understanding United States
relationship with the Middle East. The United States has been a
strong opponent of Iran’s nuclear program citing as a security
risks to its interest, Israel and its Middle East
partners[footnoteRef:8]. According to Iran, its oil resources
should be utilized in high-value products and not for electricity
generation. Iran sees nuclear energy has an alternative to
preserving its oil reserves and it sis cost effective compared to
developing its oil capacity. These economic arguments by Iran
have been supported by United States National Academy of
Science. Additionally, Iran believes that the United States and
its partners are applying double standards because Israel,
Pakistan and India are all nuclear powers, while Iran’s program
is for domestic uses only. Iranians have an inalienable right to
peaceful nuclear energy technology and it has been a victim of
American campaign of intervention, denial, misinformation and
obstruction. According to them, its nuclear program has been a
subject of exaggerated information and bias by the international
community. [8: World Factbook.

5. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/]
United States seeks to stop Iran’s nuclear program through
economic sanctions, negotiations or a military intervention. Iran
has suffered before from economic sanctions that have affected
its ability to meet the economic and social demands of its
population. Additional sanctions will economically affect
ordinary Iranians. The United States and its allies on the other
hand believe that Iran’s nuclear program posses a threat to its
interest and the security of the Middle East. According to the
U.S, a nuclear armed Iran will enhance its aggressive foreign
policy and increase conflicts with the international
community[footnoteRef:9]. The United States also believes that
Iran may sponsor global terrorism by sharing nuclear
technology with group such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran’s
nuclear program also posses a threat to America’s allies in the
region including Israel, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Already, these countries feel threatened by Iran’s aggressive
foreign policy and with nuclear weapons it poses more security
threat. Since the Middle East is still a source of energy for
America, a nuclear armed Iran will worsen the volatile situation
in the region and affect its economic interest. Military
intervention may not be feasible at the moment because creating
another conflict in a volatile region such as the Middle East
may have far reaching consequences. Currently, the region is
grappling with the Syrian conflict, Israel-Palestine conflict and
the instability in Iraq. Another conflict may spill over to
neighboring countries and destabilize it allies. How the United
States resolve this issue will have wide implications on its
relationship with the Middle East. [9: AIPAC calls for swift
action to block U.S. companies supporting Iran:
http://jta.org/news/article/2010/03/10/1011010/aipac-calls-for-
swift-action-to-block-us-companies-supporting-iran
]
The two examples of the region’s opportunities and problems

6. that have stimulated my critical thinking are its contribution to
civilization and its contribution to the global economy. Islamic
contributions to the West are numerous and are found in the
fields of mathematics, astronomy, agriculture, medicine,
architecture and technology. Arabs and Muslims have
contributed to the scientific field of mathematics than any other
group of people. Algebra, calculus, arithmetic, logarithm, the
decimal system, trigonometry and the “zero’ are all traced to the
Arab civilization [footnoteRef:10]. The “zero” was developed
by the Semitic speakers in Babylon and was incorporated into
the mathematical theory during Arab civilization. Modern
algebra was discovered by Mohamed Al-Khawarizmi in Bagdad.
Arabs have also contributed to astronomy. Abu Abdullah a-
Battani was a well known astronomer in Europe and contributed
to astronomy by refining the inclination of the ecliptic, showed
that the eclipses of the sun existed, refined the annual equinoxes
and improved Ptolemy’s astronomical calculations. Al-Biruni
contributed to astronomy by precisely determining the latitudes,
geodetic measurements, longitudes and the earth’s
circumference. In the filed of chemistry, the name “chemistry”
is derived from the Arab word “al-keem’ya”[footnoteRef:11].
The Muslim chemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan is regarded as the father
of chemistry and some of the chemical terms used in English
today such as “sal-amoniac”, “alkali” and “antimony” are
attributed to him. Black powder, which is the first explosive
discovered was made by the Arabs and not Chinese as widely
accepted. The Chinese adopted it from the Arabs. In the filed of
physics, Arab scientist Abu Ali Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham
contributed to optical theory. He gave the precise nature of
vision. The Arab physicist Alhazen Libri published theories on
spherical aberration, binocular vision, the rainbow, spherical
and parabolic mirrors, and focusing using lenses. His work was
utilized by Roger Bacon, Leonardo Da Vinci and Johannes
Kepler[footnoteRef:12]. Much of modern western medicine,
pharmacology, geography, architecture, literature, music and
philosophy came from Arab civilization. These contributions

7. underline the immense potential and opportunities in the Middle
East. [10: Arab Contributions to Civilization.
http://www.adc.org/education/arab-contributions-to-
civilization/] [11: Arab Contributions to Civilization.
http://www.adc.org/education/arab-contributions-to-
civilization/] [12: Muslim Scholars and Thinkers through the
14th Century.
http://www.princeton.edu/~humcomp/scholars.html
]
The contributions of the Middle East are significant to the
global economy. One of the reasons cited for America’s interest
and obsession with the Middle East is oil and Israel. Almost all
the countries in the Middle East produce oil that is used in
many parts of the world. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar are some of the leading producers
of crude petroleum and natural gas[footnoteRef:13]. The world
is still dependent on these natural sources of energy. Anytime
conflicts arise in the region, the global prices of oils shoot up as
evidenced by conflicts in many Arab countries during the Arab
spring. Energy is the main driver of economic growth since all
industries rely on some of energy in one way or the other and
with the Middle East contributing a significant amount of the
global energy; it is obvious that it will attract the attention of
global superpowers. Over reliance of petroleum as the only
driver of the economy can be both an opportunity and a
disadvantage. It is an opportunity because the world is over
dependent on petroleum as its primary source of energy and a
disadvantage because other sectors of the economy are
neglected. Oil riches have also not benefited common citizens
because it has remained the preserve of the regime ruling in the
Middle East, which are autocratic in nature. [13: OPEC Flows
of Crude and Refined Oil, 2008 (Thousand Barrels per Day):
http://www.opec.org/library/Annual%20Statistical%20Bulletin/i
nteractive/2008/FileZ/worldmapz.htm]

8. One finding that has clearly influenced my world view and
vision of how to promote mutual understanding between
American people and the people of the Middle East is that Islam
does not promote terrorism. There has been a raging debate that
Islam condones and promotes terrorism and this has influenced
the view of most Americans who associate Islam with terrorism.
Although there are various texts that support the use of violence
in the Quran, it boils down to how individual interpret theses
texts. Terrorists have interpreted the Quran to suit their
circumstances and use it to brain wash young men to engage in
terrorism. When the Quran was revealed, there were no
international agencies to expose violence and ensure peace.
Individuals and communities had to use violence to defend
themselves and their properties from inter-tribal violence. This
may be the main reason why the use of violence is mentioned
many times in the Quran. As a complete text, the Quran
preaches faith, hope and peace[footnoteRef:14]. It also warns it
adherents not to oppress or transgress and urges restrain and
forgiveness. The teachings of Islam prohibit murder, imposing
religion on other people, aggressive warfare, the killing of
innocent people and sneak attacks. Terrorism falls into all the
above categories. The problem of terrorism is not Islam, but
bad ideology. Mutual understanding between Americans and the
Middle East can be if promoted by politicians, policy makers
and religious leaders play and active role in ensuring that
terrorism is not linked to Islam in nay way and by reigning on
radical Muslim preachers who use terrorism to recruit young
men to join terrorism through false ideologies. [14:
Quran: http://faculty.indstate.edu/melyassini/gme%20twenty%2
0selected%20sets%20of%20verses%20from%20The%20Quran.p
df
]