(AINA) -- The importance of Middle East to the United States rose significantly in 1980 after the Oil embargo of 1973. The then ensuing events, rise of fundamentalism, turmoil, and widespread kidnappings, urged United States strategists to reevaluate its foreign policy and to place Middle East under direct military control after Britain decided to leave the region.

To fill the vacuum, United States strategists also considered a number of policy alternatives such as the Persian Gulf, Suez Canal, and the Northern Tier states. The spot most acceptable to them was Oil rich Saudi Arabia, which is adjacent to the Persian Gulf and to the shipping lanes that are vital to United States commerce.

The scenario displayed in the Region and executed in the Gulf; i.e. the Desert Storm, was in fact launched to achieve such objectives that were beyond the liberation of Kuwait. These objectives were:

• a military base in Gulf area
• a Central Command headquarters
• a long term responsibility of maintaining the status-quo in post cold-war era.

The relaxation of international relations in the wake of Soviet Union disintegration, the collapse of balance of power theory that overwhelmed the bipolar world, and the emergence of the New Order with a uni-polar system under the U. S., created a new version of relations characterized by the following:

Politically

• A new law-abiding international system.
• The return to the United Nations and regional organizations to thwart crisis, diffuse uarrels, and enforce peace.
• The use of coalitions to police the world when thwarting fails or does not work.

Economically

• Monopoly and control by the United States over world fortunes due to its huge economy and military strength.
• Equal treatment of all nations in a world of free and open markets.

In light of these developments, all countries have to share in the promotion of trade, remove barriers to world commerce, and encourage investments that lead to the preservation and continuation of global capitalism as well as the coordination of the interests of all nations in open markets without ideological competition or class struggle.

The New World Order emerged as a new version of the traditional capitalist system but with a different agenda compatible with the interests of the United States. Desert Storm, therefore, was launched as a means to protect United States strategic interests in the Region under the pretext of liberating Kuwait as per United Nations Resolution 678.

In the aftermath of Desert Storm, three events transpired as follows.

• The Iraqi Army was expelled from Kuwait.
• Iraq was deprived of fatal weapons and its arsenal reduced, rendering it incapable of intimidating and threatening its neighbors.
• The United States signed a military treaty with Kuwait and assumed the position of Guardian of peace in the Middle East.

Prior to Desert Storm U. S. strategists considered two vital issues: how could the U.S. integrate the Middle East and especially the strategic Iraq within the global economy in New World Order, and by what means could the U.S. annex the Middle East and Iraq as integral parts of its global military strategy?

The first issue, the integration of the region in global economy is accomplished in the course of democratizing the region as done in Afghanistan and Iraq and carrying out U.S. regional policy that seeks to

• Keeping the sea lanes open for international trade.
• Maintaining the flow of oil at a reasonable price.
• Providing support for Israel and moderate Arab states.

The second issue, annexing Middle East and Iraq to U. S. global military strategy is achieved through the means pursued by the Administration to execute its global policy including the use of military power.

So Desert Storm was neither an isolated event that did erupt randomly, nor a product of the hour. It was in fact a vital part of United States global defensive arrangements steadily elaborated to repel radical movements against the New World System.

The following are some of U. S. goals in the Region.

• Stationing of US troops in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
• The installation of a Headquarters in Qatar for the Central Command.
• A long-term responsibility to maintain the status-quo in post cold-war and to control and administer the New World system.

United States objectives in the Middle East are basically the same as well as the strategy and Its vital interests depends on political and social developments outside its borders and in the rest of the World, that have direct Impact on the living standards of the Americans. The United States; therefore, is

• Preserving the status-quo or the world capitalist system.
• Opposing the ideas that are not responsive to the new global strategies.
• Using coalitions as resolved by the United Nations to quell aggression and promote peace and the new economic regime.

U.S. troops are still in Iraq, which is, just like other states in the region, included within United States global strategy under the Central Command. The other states involved are Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Jordan, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Somalia, Yemen, and the Gulf states.

United States uses its military to:

• Secure the flow of oil and other energy resources to U.S. and the other industrialized nations.
• Explore new markets for its products.

and in the course of executing its new Global policy, It

• Protects small nations against aggression
• Support peaceful missions delegated by the United Nations.
• Combat terrorism
• Destroy weapons of mass destruction
• Repel fundamentalism

With regard to Iraq, the United States aims were destroying weapons of mass destruction and forcing it to abide by International Law United Nations resolutions.

The policy of Iraq under Saddam Hussein after the Gulf war was not satisfactory to the U.S, nor was it in conformity with the global economy. Notwithstanding, the United States pursued peaceful means to make Iraq comply with United Nations resolutions, including diplomacy, economic sanctions, political pressure, covert operations and finally, the last resort, military power.

The immediate United States objectives in Iraq are

• A democratic and secular regime to protect and defend individual freedoms and to guarantee the political rights of its nationalities mainly the Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, and Turkomans. The United States is already extending help to the Iraqi people in this respect.
• A peace-loving Iraq clear of weapons of mass-destruction; nuclear, biological, and chemical.
• A viable economy that provides jobs and employment to Iraqi citizens.

U. S. strategic objectives in Iraq are

• The annexation of Iraq to the global economy so U.S. can invest heavily in this oil-rich country.
• Including it under Central Command arrangements and promoting it as a vital political bastion of democracy in the region.

To attain these goals the United States deemed it necessary to be there and to link Iraq practically with other component of its Global strategy in the region and around the Globe. United States global military strategy involves Latin America, Balkan, Middle East, South East Asia, Central Asia region along the borders of Russia and China.

The 21st Century has been designated as the United States century. Strategists in Washington have reviewed the whole United States global policy and especially the Middle East in the aftermath of the cold-war on the following assumptions

• A democratic, capitalist Middle East.
• An overwhelming Global capitalist economy.
• The defeat of fundamentalism and terrorist movements.
• The expansion of the market system and World trade. All nations will participate on basis of mutual benefits.

Today it is Globalization all over and Iraq, a very rich country with oil, minerals, vast arable land, uranium, and other resources, is in the heart of it. The United States is digging there for a prolonged stay. The question is whether It will retreat or rebound and abandon its obligations.

The case of Iraq is greater than we read in the media. Iraq is today a component of U. S. Global military strategy in the region under the Central Command. All the United States interests within the region shall be guaranteed to succeed and provided adequate protection. So the United States will stay the course alone or in a coalition.

A United States retreat will cause its economy to shrink and bring down the living standards of the people. It is not possible under these circumstances to isolate itself within its borders. This is a retroactive step that hurts its economic and security interests that are associated with world trade. It is also not possible to abandon its achievements and its world status as the leader, consolidator, and advisor.

The United States, therefore, has no intention at all to leave the region or abandon its global strategy especially in Iraq. President Bush declared that the United States would not abandon its obligation. The United States had already returned the sovereignty to Iraqi people on June 30, 2004. British Prime Minister Tony Blair also made it clear that the United States and Britain cannot tolerate the consequences of failure and they both will proceed to install a democratic regime in Iraq. For the first time in seventy years Iraq now has a representative and freely elected government.

United States foreign policy goals have yet a long way to go. U. S. will stay in the Region and Iraq, just like the other states, will convert to a rotating component of the United States global strategy

Lecture delivered on June 2, 2005, at Dr. Galya's International Relations Class at DePaul University, Chicago.