The geographical term “Middle East” does not have a singular definition. It can be used to describe a region spanning countries as far apart as Morocco in North Africa and Pakistan in South Asia. For the purposes of this reading, the term “Middle East” refers to the countries and territories highlighted on the map above, stretching from Egypt in the west to Iran in the east. The term “Arab world” refers to the lands in which Arabic is widely spoken, corresponding roughly to the region between Morocco and Iraq, and from Syria to Yemen. The Arab world does not include Iran, where Persian is the official language, or Turkey, where the official language is Turkish, though Arabs also live in these places.What are some dos and don’ts for studying the Middle East?Nadje Al-Ali, Brown University
The history of the region called the Middle East is long and complex. The terms “Near East” and later “Middle East” were used by British colonial officials to describe a region to their east. This region included territory between the Mediterranean Sea and British colonies in the “Far East,” such as in India and China. In the following pages, the term “Middle East” refers to the countries highlighted on the above map, stretching from Egypt in the west to Iran in the east. This text does not include other North African countries in its definition of the Middle East.
U.S. navy ships attack the city of Tripoli (present-day Libya) in 1803 during a war to stop pirate attacks on U.S. ships.Michele Felice Cornè (1752–1845). Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
People across the Middle East have diverse ethnicities, religions, languages, life experiences, and understandings of their histories. For example, Iranian society includes urban professionals in Tehran, a city of fourteen million, as well as oil workers who live near the Persian Gulf. In Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon, large Christian populations exist alongside Muslims. The religion of Islam is understood and practiced in many ways across the region. The landscape also varies—from sparsely populated arid deserts, to vast urban metropolises, to forests, mountains, rivers, and marshes. Variations in culture, history, and geography influence the region’s societies, governments, and economies.
What is important to know about the U.S. role in the Middle East?
Why is it important for high school students to learn about the Middle East?Sreemati Mitter, Brown University
Since the early 1800s, the Middle East has played an important role in U.S. foreign policy. To understand the U.S. role in the Middle East, it is important to consider a number of factors. While U.S. policy differs across countries and groups of people, there are patterns in the motivations and values that have driven U.S. policy over time.
Today, the United States has military forces throughout much of the Middle East and other surrounding regions. For example, the United States has military forces in the following countries pictured on the map: Bahrain, Djibouti, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. intervention must be understood as part of a longer history of imperialism and colonialism. As a global power, the United States has been motivated by competition with other imperialist countries pursuing wealth and power in the Middle East. The motivation to access and control oil resources has been central to U.S. policy in the region. To maintain economic and political power, the United States has intervened militarily, economically, and politically in Middle Eastern countries. U.S. policies have had a profound impact on people in the region. Within the United States, strong disagreement exists about what U.S. policies should be. For all these reasons, the U.S. role in the Middle East is complicated.
While reading this text, you will grapple with key questions related to U.S. involvement in the Middle East:
What are the United States’ interests in the Middle East?Melani Cammett, Harvard UniversityWhat interests have motivated the United States to intervene in the Middle East, historically and today?
How have values affected U.S. policy in the Middle East?
How do U.S. policies affect the Middle East, and how do people throughout the region experience and respond to these policies?
What are various perspectives on U.S. policy in the Middle East, including those held by people who live in the region?
Which interests and values should provide the basis for U.S. policy in the Middle East?
This text is not a comprehensive review of all the countries in the region. Instead, you will read about selected parts of the history of the Middle East and U.S. policy in the region. In Part I of this reading, you will focus on the political history of the Middle East beginning in the late nineteenth century. You will also learn about the history of U.S. policy in the region through the Second World War. Part II examines some of the major events in the Middle East that shaped the region’s relationship with the United States in the second half of the twentieth century. Part III of the reading covers U.S. policy in the Middle East in the twenty-first century.
