The American Standpoint and the West Asian Quagmire

West Asia and its conflicts remain embedded in public awareness as a kind of stalemate and a quagmire which has the liability of conflict and war written all over it. Great power interventions have been a bane of existence for the beleaguered region with United States playing a key interventionist and balancing role in the region since the past decades. It ca be stated that since the ages, the geopolitical importance of West Asia has always been a strategic reality. The various nations have contested each other in spreading their dominion over the region in order to domineer the trade and travel routes to the East and the Orient. Also, the centrally seated location of the region along with its tricontinental region and its interfaces with the southern littoral of the Mediterranean Sea and the confines of the Indian Ocean, make it a nodal point for the entire world Island.

The role of United States of America in the region has too been commented upon a lot. The resource and oil rich legacy of west Asia has always been a key attraction point for the Occident and American fulcrum of strategic interest. The region has been an enduring obsession and partner for the US since the years gone past. The US and Israel share a religious affiliation more so in the context of the Abrahamic religion which helped make US as an ally-cum-great power, for Jerusalem. The Americans believe that for ensuring the stability of the region and making it more porous towards democratic and non-authoritarian values, there, is enough justification for the American overreach in West Asia which is part of the stated objectives of the American foreign policy and real politique. Another function happens to be that of deterring rivals such as Moscow in the region and containing the nuclear, economic and political potential of Iran in as a recalcitrant nation state actor or a rogue nation as enumerated in the context of the Global War on Terror, (GWOT). Also, the Mission Civiltarice objectives including the tenets of democratizing, inculcating respect for human rights and assisting in conflict resolution happen to be the order of the day as far as a liberal reading of the US West Asia narrative is concerned.

The Present Context of the US Role

The recent conflagration in the shape of the Israel Hamas, Israel Hezbollah and Israel Houthi conflicts, has, once again reinstated the stature of US as a key strategic player and a conflict resolver in the myriad sense of the term. The idiom of constructivism in IR remains an actuality in the US West Asia set piece, where in, the themes such as rule of law, constitutionalism, international norm-setting and others, remain as the key exports of US to the contested region. In Syria, the Russians have faced a major strategic defeat, which is also a grave setback for the Axis of resistance led by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. Still, the Americans have been supporting and leaving various dubious forces in Syria with multiple allyships on the road to the ouster of Bashar-Al-Assad in Syria. The manner in which the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, were, too involved in the power jockeying and the Regime change facet of US in Syria, also attaches a special connotation for the American role in the contested region. The autocratic, authoritarian and monarchical facet of the Regimes and the ruling dispensations in the region have been utilized as a ruse by the White House to intervene in the region. In the context of January 20 in US, when Donald Trump will take over the reins of power in the White House. There happens to be a dichotomy in relation to the fact that Trump has been known to be an able-functional ally of the Netanyahu Regime but along with that there is withdrawal streak which lies well pronounced in the US policy towards West Asia and the rest of the Global Polity. Since the talk about the American decline gained ground a decade back, the American authorities have been wary of intervening after the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan and President Trump stays close to that line of thought pattern. Thus, akin to the fears of an American withdrawal in the Ukraine war, the American intent and its attendant security Umbrella remains a matter of speculation in the larger ambit of developments in the region.

The US and Israel Détente

US and Israel too have enjoyed an ally hood in the post-World War II times and apart from the Abrahamic affinity, strategic affinity too became the order of the day since the times of President Nixon which soon matured into a full-fledged military alliance between the twin allies and one can search through the American voting record in the United Nations Security Council, too, which is a pointer enough for tracing the American camaraderie with Jerusalem. Both Israel and United States face a common threat of Global terrorism which has been militated against by the America led coalition. Also, one can safely argue that the American guilt over the Holocaust along with the humanitarian concern for the new Jew settlers in a post-World War II scenario, led to the convergence between the stated objectives and aims of the twin regimes in Washington and Jerusalem. Who can forget the support extended out by President Trump to the shifting the Israeli center of activities to Jerusalem in the last term of his Presidency. Still, it was largely the Yom Kippur war in the year 1973, which, brough a well delineated and declared consonance of interests between Tel Aviv and Washington. The American entity provided written assurances to the state of Israel in return for propping up Israel for holding negotiations with the PLO. The selfsame approach is a significant backbone of the US diplomacy towards the region and Tel Aviv, where-in, President Biden has always prodded and persuaded the Netanyahu Regime not to leave the pathway of negotiations and parleys in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict. More importantly, President Biden has reprimanded the Netanyahu Regime, Smotrich and Ben Gvir to indulge only in a “proportionate retaliation,” to Iran and its proxies in order to stymie a quick military escalation of the West Asian conflict. On the other hand, in order to bolster and strengthen the combat potential of Israel, Biden transported a lethal and effective anti-missile system to Tel Aviv along with hands to operate it, which, ushered in the thick involvement of US in the Israel Hamas conflict.

Thus, one can decipher a twin pronged approach to the Israel Hamas conflict, where in, America provided a handsfree help to Tel Aviv into decimating Hamas and Hezbollah. While on the other hand, the usual reprimands, too, remained as the corpuscles of US State policy to stop a further and full-fledged escalation of the conflict. US enjoys substantial leverage over Tel Aviv where former President Trump’s, “devil may care attitude”, has been replaced by a diplomatically canny approach by Washington, where in, reining in a gung ho and vindictive Israel, has, become the order of the day as far as the US policy towards Israel and Hamas is concerned. A maritime deal has been engineered between Israel and Lebanon, which has stymied the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Still, the question remains that can the maritime deal be utilized in other conflict zones in the region which can be something which United States can pride over as part of its negotiation strategy and larger diplomacy.

The Thaw with Lebanon

One can contend that in the context of Lebanon, Israel is searching for a free and threat free zone in the Karish gas field without the looming danger of intervening Hezbollah drone attacks. Also, Lebanon is not a powerful and effective state and the nation does not have the potential heft to replace the Lebanese Government in the nearby stump areas.

The maritime deal might not be a long-term panacea for peace, but for the time being it prevents a full-fledged escalation between the warring sides. Also, one can argue that the Lebanese oil, once it reaches Europe and other destination points, can usher in a lessening of the European dependence on Russia for energy. The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken has been undertaking shuttle Diplomacy at a frantic pace, but, a larger deal for the region is still not in the offing due to the prevarications of the contestants in the region but a patch up arrangement has definitely ushered in the form of, “Opportunities for Peace”. In the same sentiment of rapprochement, Egypt too, has supported the Israeli intent in another energy deal, where in, it will partner in the Gaza strip Energy plant and Isarael can manage it for itself and others gain and the Americans too will add heft to their presence in the region as they are a prime force in brokering a deal for the future in the contested and mauled Gaza strip.

The larger West Asian context can be analyzed in relation with the Political contest Model in tandem with the straitjacketed binaries between the state and non-state actors. The traditionalism of a well-resourced and rich state getting involved in a conflict and a rebellion with a non-state terror and insurgent actor, has, been defied by the developments in the region.

The non-state actors have melted away inside the body of states surrounding Israel and the battle is on between the entire Jihadi deep state which is much more pervasive and substantially well-equipped than a mere nation, if, we were to focus upon the actual and “On the Ground Zero” might and reach of past non state actors such as the Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and the new Regime in Syria. Israel has been quick to realize that these non-state actors long time back have morphed into semi or para states which are capable of inflicting more harm than a delimited and traditional non state actor.

The non-state actors and Iran backed Shia extremists have a well-defined occupied territory with more than snippets of sovereign holds over their terrain, population and borders. They can go ahead with alacrity and efficient precision to indulge in much more antics then merely fomenting a rebellion or a spectacular effect, which is traditionally attempted by non-state actors to attract the attention of the Global Media, nations, diplomats and the larger global public sphere.

One can also refer to the military and the power status of Iran. US under President Trump committed the mistake of moving out of the JCPOA talks between the P-five plus nations and Iran as part of the larger isolationist streak of the US foreign policy under President Donald Trump. This emboldened Iran and Biden realized that “staying aloof Policy” does not behoove a nation as large and powerful, as, United States of America in the premise of its Mount Sinai nationalism. Thus, was, ushered in a change in the larger ambit of the US Policy. Nations such as Iran and Iraq, have, been romanticized a great deal by the observers of International and West Asian affairs. Despite the fact that the much-eulogized, Elite Republican Guards of Iraq Saddam Hussein’s forces capitulated to the “Coalition of the Willing” in 2003 led by United States, Iran poses a sizeable challenge to the “Coalition of the Willing”.

Similarly, as it was exposed, Iran could not do much with its vintage MIGs and air defense systems, when, the Israeli Airforce bombed strategic sites in Iran as a retaliation to the drone and missile strikes on itself by Iran. Israelis soon triumphed over the Iranian sky and it has been noted by strategic and defense officers, that, the Elite Republican forces of Tehran might not be a force to be reckoned with in light of an actual military escalation taking place between Jerusalem and Tehran.

Conclusion

Thus, coming down to the basics, Isarel with its Jewish lobby in US and in the light of American strategic and economic interests in West Asia, Jerusalem’s dominance or kill potential stays intact as a ground zero reality in the larger context of the region. In the final offing, the terror actors might have a difficult day after the inauguration of the Trump Presidency as despite his unpredictable policy, Trump holds special attraction and camaraderie for the Jew State.

(The paper is the author’s individual scholastic articulation. The author certifies that the article/paper is original in content, unpublished and it has not been submitted for publication/web upload elsewhere, and that the facts and figures quoted are duly referenced, as needed, and are believed to be correct). (The paper does not necessarily represent the organisational stance... More >>

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