The Middle East has been a central focus of the United States’ foreign policy. The purpose of the current research is to shed light on the United States’ economic and political presence in the Middle East region before and after World War I and after World War II to understand how United States’ presence has developed in the region and what motives were behind its presence. This is accomplished by exploring broad economic, strategic, and political motives of the United States. Specifically, the article explores the United States’ primary interests in the Middle East including securing strategic access to oil in the Gulf region, supporting and protecting Israel’s sovereignty, maintaining the United States’ military bases, defending client-states and friendly regimes, and resisting Islamic movements and terrorist groups.
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