America And The Arab States

"Events in the fall of 1973 made the American people suddenly aware of the importance of the Arab World to their well-being. The October War led to a brief but intense crisis with the Soviet Union, highlighted by a worldwide alert of American military forces, and a longer and more agonizing energy crunch created by the five-month oil embargo imposed by the Arab producers. People who had viewed the Middle East as a remote corner of the globe now realized how important this volatile area could be to American security and prosperity."--Foreword (p. v).

A systematic study exploring American attitudes toward Arabs through American press coverage of Middle East news. Covers the period from 1956-1985.

Even the most seasoned Middle East observers were taken aback by the events of early 2011. Protests born of oppression and socioeconomic frustration erupted throughout the streets; public unrest provoked violent police backlash; long-established dictatorships fell. How did this all happen? What might the future look like, and what are the likely ramifications for the United States and the rest of the world? In The Arab Awakening, experts from the Brookings Institution tackle such questions to make sense of this tumultuous region that remains at the heart of U.S. national interests. The first portion of The Arab Awakening offers broad lessons by analyzing key aspects of the Mideast turmoil, such as public opinion trends within the "Arab Street"; the role of social media and technology; socioeconomic and demographic conditions; the influence of Islamists; and the impact of the new political order on the Arab-Israeli peace process. The next section looks at the countries themselves, finding commonalties and grouping them according to the political evolutions that have (or have not) occurred in each country. The section offers insight into the current situation, and possible trajectory of each group of countries, followed by individual nation studies. The Arab Awakening brings the full resources of Brookings to bear on making sense of what may turn out to be the most significant geopolitical movement of this generation. It is essential reading for anyone looking to understand these developments and their consequences.

"In few of its postwar policies has the United States been more ill at ease than in dealing with the Arab world...For two decades it has felt its way through the recurrent crises of the area, seldom entirely failing in its objectives, yet equally seldom quite reaching them. Bold initiative and sustained consistency have not been the hallmark of its approach." With these words John S. Badeau , who served as United States Ambassador to Egypt from 1961 to 1964, begins his reassessment of American policies in the Middle East. In setting forth the American approach to the area, Mr. Badeau carefully defines United States interests, primary and subsidiary. He evaluates the new forces of nationalism, non-alignment, and modernization in the Arab world, as well as national and personal rivalries, the tensions between the radical and conservative states, the residual onus of European colonialism, and the Soviet presence. In evaluating the instrumentalities and guidelines for the exercise of American foreign policy in the Middle East, Mr. Badeau also spells out the inevitable dilemmas that the United States must face. A case study of American diplomacy in Yemen illustrates both the opportunities for and the constraints on policy. He concludes that a reappraisal of United States policy in the area is in order, urging that our approach take into consideration not only our true interests and capabilities in the Middle East, but also the changing political realities of the Arab world.

Neither stability nor change in the post-colonial Arab world can be fully understood without considering the international context, and American Foreign policy in particular. However, the exact nature of America’s presence in the Arab world, and the scope and modes of its influence, all appear to have reached a crossroads since the Arab uprisings. ‘US Hard Power in the Arab World’ traces the US’s "power of persuasion" in the Arab Middle East from the onset of the War on Terror in 2001 through to the Arab Spring. With a particular focus on Syria, the book explores the limits of an American "smart power" amid the emergence of a growing indigenous "soft power" whose ire is directed not only at Assad’s regime, but also at the violence perpetrated or enabled by the international community, headed by the US. It is argued that the blurring of the two forms of "soft" and "hard" American power has tarnished the credibility of US policies geared to win hearts and minds in the Arab world. ‘US Hard Power in the Arab World’ narrates the contests between attraction and intimidation, public diplomacy and military occupation, elites and publics, seduction and resistance. Drawing upon a multitude of primary sources, including personal interviews with Syrian activists and opposition figures, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Middle East Politics, as well as those concerned with American Foreign Policy and the Arab Spring.