Question

What should be America’s role in the Middle East or around the world? Explain why you think the United States should have this role or not. Identify one or two roles the United States should be engaged in internationally.

Answer 1

• U.S. policymakers are facing two main challenges in Arab countries: the perception of having propped up oppressive regimes, placing U.S. and Israeli priorities ahead of the needs of local populations; and the rise of unfriendly political parties, especially Islamist ones, through the democratic process.
• However, Arabs admire U.S. democratic values and are attempting to adopt them as part of their nascent democracies. To address the challenges by building on that admiration, the U.S. should:-
• Adopt a new paradigm for developing regional allies by prioritizing American interests that overlap with those of Arab publics, as opposed to those of autocratic regimes. Using mutually beneficial policies would enhance the U.S.’s value to the region, repair its image there, and improve prospects for future Arab-U.S. collaboration.
• Continue emphasizing strong support for the democratic aspirations and movements by Arab publics without supporting specific candidates or political parties. Anyone seen as an ally of the U.S. will be DOA on the electoral scene.
• Publicly commit to working with all peaceful, elected parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Their policies may not be aligned with those of the U.S., but including them in the political process is key to their moderation.
• Maintain a consistent policy of strongly criticizing crackdowns on demonstrators across the region, including those by ally regimes.
• Transfer some military aid (in Egypt, for example) to civil society programs.
  
• U.S. strategic interests include 1) reliable access to energy supplies, 2) counter-terrorism, and 3) preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The United States also has a moral commitment to Israel’s security and favors the spread of democracy and human rights.
• If the United States wants the policies of Arab governments to be congenial to its interests, it will have to make its own policies more congenial to Arab peoples, not just Arab rulers.
• Large majorities support the U.S. having a robust military capacity, but want it adjusted in line with a more limited U.S. role, with allies carrying more of the defense burden.Americans want the U.S. to engage in a cooperative way, with the U.S. being less of a world policeman and other countries sharing more of the burden.
• The roots of American power are in that dialogue, and that dialogue needs renewal. From that renewal must spring tempered choices aimed at the health of the country in future generations. And wise or unwise, our choices more than those of any other country shape the globe. The world reacts to them and inevitably feeds the consequences back to us. For better or worse, our involvement in the world is inescapable. To renew America’s role in the world, we must first restore the shared idea of America.