Introduction
The National Security and Defense Policy of the United States primarily revolves around the cooperation between the allied countries globally and the efforts to promote democracy in regions with other political regimes. This issue is particularly relevant in the Middle East, where countries such as Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan have contradicting perspectives on politics, democratic values, and equality standards compared to America. Nevertheless, the Democratic Peace Theory (DPT) proposes that increasing the influence of democracy in other countries will help to maintain world peace. This essay provides information about the reasons for promotion promoting democratic values by the United States in the Middle East, which intends to establish close relationship between the countries and mitigate organized crime and terrorism.
Background Information
Over the years, there has been a considerable increase in the number of states with democratic governments. The idea of promoting democracy was highlighted as a major objective of the US foreign policy. After increase in terrorism and violence linked to individuals originating from Middle East countries, the US became concerned to establish effect ways to counter the issue. US democracy promotion policies are guided by the belief that political freedom can fight the radicalism and indoctrination linked with Middle East countries (Ashford, 2018). The major dilemma that faces US strategy to promote democracy is how to deal to with the political Islamist movements which advocate for reforms guided by Islamic religious principles (Ashford, 2018). Democracy promotion efforts are mainly to minimize illegal activity as a noble objective.
The situation in the Middle East has been obstructed by multiple challenges over the last thirty years. For instance, the evident difference in political regimes and equality standards has caused US foreign policy to fail in the Middle East People in the Arab World have difficulties understanding democratic values due to associated effects and negative perceptions they have against the US concerning the interventions regarded as hostile invasions (Gause, 2019). Some of America’s actions, such as the Invasion of Iraq, confirm this position. Some states of the Arab world, including Tunisia and Egypt, have seen a positive change after the Arab Spring in 2010-2011 and a shift toward more democratic regimes (Robinson & Merrow, 2020). Other regions, including Iraq, Syria, and Libya, have more powerful authoritarian governments, making democracy promotion more challenging. However, the efforts of US to support and promote democracy in Arab world is riddled with great opposition from many Islamic leaders who view western policies as unfriendly to their success.
Democracy Promotion in the Middle East
As seen from the background information, there are numerous challenges to democracy promotion in the Middle East. The support of Israel by US has a significant influence in accentuating its unfavorable reputation to the Arab world which is hailing from heinous attacks on Gaza by Israel. This indicates that the current efforts by president Biden to promote democracy and foster respect to human rights is likely to encounter various concern, doubts or even total rejection from different parties. To achieve this objective, the United States needs to continue its foreign policy according to the Democratic Peace Theory but make better efforts to promote stability. Namely, various humanitarian aid programs, such as the Middle East Regional Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and Middle East Regional (MER), have helped maintain relative peace in the region (Sharp et al., 2020). These endeavors effectively promote democracy in the Middle East since most of them directly support equality, women’s empowerment, and quality of life improvements (Sharp et al., 2020). As a result, they enhance the relationship between the Middle East and the United States, mitigating regional conflicts and global risks.
As a result of the efforts of promoting democracy and human rights, it is estimated that there are fewer terrorism threats since the occurrence of 9/11 attack. Moreover, according to the National Security and Defense Policy, the United States will have fewer external threats if the Middle East successfully adopts democratic values. Since 2001, the federal government and many Americans have perceived the Middle East as the center of world terrorism (Ashford, 2018). To effectively gain influence and challenge the middle East and Arab countries to support democracy and respect human rights, US must devise a comprehensive plan. It is crucial to dissolve misconceptions that Americans and people from the Middle East have about each other to develop a long-lasting peace between the regions. Ultimately, if the United States succeeds in promoting democracy in the Middle East, the country will have fewer external threats to its national defense.
The other argument for continuing democracy promotion is the effect of the Arab Spring on Tunisia – the only country with lasting democratic progress in the Middle East. According to the latest statistics, internet freedom and women’s empowerment have significantly improved in Tunisia over the last ten years (Robinson & Merrow, 2020). Despite being surrounded by countries with authoritarian political regimes, Tunisia has made notable progress and mitigated regional conflicts and civil wars (Robinson & Merrow, 2020). This development conveys hope for a more peaceful future in the Middle East, where people have protected human rights and are not forced into wars.
Lastly, it is crucial to address the counterargument that America’s actions only hinder the quality of life in the Middle East to support the paper’s thesis. Namely, various experts have criticized the United States for being overly aggressive in the region and emphasized its military failures, such as the Iraq Invasion (Ashford, 2018). During American military presence in the Middle East, residents’ favorability ratings have decreased from approximately 50% to 10% (Ashford, 2018). Nevertheless, the previous mistakes do not make the overall objective less desirable or practical. Democracy promotion is an effective solution to mitigate organized crime, corruption, and terrorism, which are crucial factors that might significantly improve the quality of life in the Middle East (Sharp et al., 2020). Ultimately, it is essential that the United States acknowledges its prior military mistakes in the Middle East and focuses its efforts on building a long-lasting positive relationship with the region according to the Democratic Peace Theory.
Conclusion
Promoting democracy in countries and regions is one of the primary objectives of the National Security and Defense Policy and the Democratic Peace theory. Not all efforts in the Middle East have been effective in achieving this goal, but, subjectively, the ultimate objective should remain the same. The analysis has shown that promoting democracy leads to a significant positive change in equality, women’s empowerment, and press freedom, which are substantial factors in mitigating violence. Hence, the United States should continue its efforts according to the Democratic Peace Theory to create a favorable long-lasting relationship with the Middle East and prevent external threats.
References
Ashford, E. (2018). Unbalanced: Rethinking America’s commitment to the Middle East. Strategic Studies Quarterly, 12(1), 127-148.
Gause, F. G. (2019). Should we stay or should we go? The United States and the Middle East. Survival, 61(5), 7-24.
Robinson, K., & Merrow, W. (2020). The Arab Spring at ten years: What’s the legacy of the uprisings? Council on foreign relations.
Sharp, J. M., Humud, C. E., & Collins, S. R. (2020). US foreign assistance to the Middle East: Historical background, recent trends, and the FY2021 request. Congressional Research Service.