Упрощенная HTML-версия
Author : A. Polyakova
Special correspondent for the newspaper Krasnaya zvezda, postgraduate student at the Department of
Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy of the Russian State University for the Humanities
THE MIDDLE EAST is one of the strategic pri-
orities of U.S. foreign policy due to economic, po-
litical, military, demographic, and energy factors.
Israel has been the United States' main partner and
outpost in that important region for many years.
The determinants of the United States' Middle
Eastern policy include trade in weapons and energy,
economic cooperation, the Iranian nuclear program
issue, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Arab
Spring, the Syrian crisis, and combating interna-
tional terrorism.
The United States' arms sales to hostile neighbors of Israel do not affect American-Israeli rela-
tions. Firstly, Israel buys weapons of the same kind as neighboring countries do. Secondly, being
an ally of the United States gives Israel a military edge over other Middle Eastern countries.
The United States also seeks to boost its economic cooperation with Middle Eastern nations in
a bid to ensure development, peace, and stability in the region. The region mainly buys aircraft,
vehicles, industrial machinery, computers, electric, sound and television equipment, and compo-
nent parts from the United States.
The special American-Israeli relationship, which is based on shared interests and values, makes
Israeli interests one of the factors in Washington's planning of its Middle East policy.
The Iranian nuclear program issue has been a serious factor in the Obama administration's Mid-
dle Eastern policy and a priority on its general agenda. From the very start of his presidency,
Obama was determined to seek a diplomatic solution to the Iran problem and avoid military
measures.
There was more friction between the United States and Israel after moderate reformer Hassan
Rouhani became president of Iran in 2013. Rouhani shared Obama's principle of seeking a ne-
gotiated solution to the nuclear problem. This deepened the rift between the United States and
Israel as the latter was opposed to any concessions to Iran on the nuclear issue and was against
any mitigation of the sanctions.
After the long-awaited agreement with Tehran was clinched, the White House tried to convince
the Republicans and Israel that the United States remained determined to defend its Middle
Eastern ally. But Israel was adamant, still claiming that the deal could not stop Iran from devel-
oping nuclear weapons.
The Arab Spring with its upheavals has had a direct impact on the United States' Middle Eastern
policy as a whole and on American-Israeli relations.
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The Role of Israel in Obama's Mideast Policy