I don’t agree with everything in this Edward Luttwak article (particularly the stuff about the hopeless backwardness of Arab culture and the “perfectly understandable hostility of convinced Islamists towards the transgressive west”), but he makes some points that need making. Our political class is way over-invested in the idea that the Middle East is of tantamount importance. Also, it’s obvious that our support for Israel is the cause of a lot of the anger aimed at the US in that part of the world. However, I’m not convinced we should abandon our support of Israel even if that were a political possibility. It would be better, I think to work for a just settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to defuse some of the hostility toward the US and otherwise get the heck out of there. With the Cold War over and the OPEC oil cartel weakened, what strategic interest does America have in maintaining a major presence in the Middle East?
"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal
4 responses to “The Middle East: not that important?”
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I agree, we are too invested in the Middle East. Still, I am for supporting Israel. The fact that America backs them is likely one of the few reasons they havn’t been massively attacked by surround countries.
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Hmmm . . . I just wrote a post about how it would be morally irresponsible to leave Iraq. Not quite the same question you ask here, but . . . I do agree, however, that we/Israel need to resolve the Palestinian issue. Nonetheless, with the oil reserves, the risk of terrorism, and the nuclear potential of Iran (and nuclear capabilities of Pakistan), it is in our strategic interest for this region to be stable.
Instability and failed states in central Africa – while morally reprehensible and tragic – does not pose the immediate security risk that middle eastern instability and failed states would . . .
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If Israel is in fact the big power in the region (and the evidence suggests she is), then we really don’t need to support her much. Just avoid being on the other side, and Israel can take care of herself. It’s a rough neighborhood, but the Israelis have proven they have the wherewithal to live and prosper in it.
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I think it is in our interest for the region to be stable, but it seems we have done more to contribute to its instability than anything else, and I think this predates Iraq. We really need to rethink our approach overall.
A Thinking Reed 
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