One of the main tasks facing the Barack Obama Administration in the USA is that of improving the image of the country in the Middle East region. During the George W. Bush Administration, US relations with most countries in the region declined to an all-time low. There is, among the general publics of many countries considered central to the US efforts to combat terrorism, a deep distrust of the USA. Even in countries, such as Kuwait, that have long been considered relatively pro-American, support for the US has declined dramatically.
Central to improved US-Middle East relations is a better understanding of the critical factors shaping views and perspectives throughout the broader Middle East. To this end, this Handbook of US-Middle East Relations draws on the insights and experiences of many of the leading experts in the field.
The thirty-five essays in this volume examine US-Middle East relations from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.
- The first section provides a broad overview of many of the key issues and policies that have helped, either directly or indirectly, to shape US relationships with the region as a whole, including economics, oil, war, globalization and Islamic groups.
- The second section examines perceptions of US-Middle East relationships from various perspectives, both within and outside the region.
- The third section focuses on the unique aspects of the US relationship with each of the region's countries.
In all, the essays in this volume cover the whole spectrum of US-Middle East relations. The editor and authors hope that they will help shed light on this vital, yet still often misunderstood, region of the world. The book does not represent any particular political or ideological position. Instead, each author has sought objectively to seek a deeper understanding of the complexity and subtlety of forces that have all too often eluded US policymakers.