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Military Officers' Association
Charlottesville, May 26, 2005
America and the Middle East:
What are U.S. National Interests?
The United States became involved in major way after World War II:
Saudi Arabia agreed to a strategic relationship in 1945
Moscow exerted major pressure on Iran and Turkey in 1946-47
Britain withdrew from Palestine and Jordan in 1948, and
The U.S. supported creation of the state of Israel in 1948
U.S. continues to have vital interests in this crucial area today:
Unrestricted access to Persian Gulf oil at reasonable prices
Regional security and political stability in Persian Gulf
Security for the state of Israel against hostile neighbors
Prevention of meddling by outside powers (Russia, France)
Key political events in region during past 40 years:
1967 Arab-Israeli War and Israel's occupation of Palestine
1973 October Israel-Egypt War, and Cairo's change of policy
Iran's 1979 revolution and the ouster of a pro-U.S. regime
Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the threat to Saudi Arabia
President Bush's reasons for using force against Saddam Hussein:
Iraq's threat to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states
Saddam's potential links to the Al Qaeda terrorist network
Iran's efforts to undermine U.S.-friendly Gulf states
Israel's refusal to withdraw troops until Iraqi threat removed
Likelihood that Saddam possessed WMD and would use them
What have we learned from the Iraq experience?
Invasion of another country is never quick, or low-cost
Key European allies will not join U.S. in Middle East wars
U.S. Army is not trained to fight prolonged urban insurgencies
Despite casualties and cost, US public is not against Iraq war
Comparing U.S. commitments to Iraq and Vietnam wars:
140,000 troops in Iraq in 2005; 530,000 in Vietnam in 1968
All volunteer force is in Iraq; draftees were sent to Vietnam
No major power helps Iraq; China and USSR both aided Vietnam
U.S. is unlikely to leave Iraq soon; U.S. was expelled from Vietnam
Is Iraq worth the cost that America is paying?
Probably yes, for important strategic reasons (cited above)
But troop levels and costs must come down soon, to keep public support
U.S. Army is under great strain, and the all-volunteer force is suffering
File last modified on Tuesday, 14-JUNE-2005 07:25 PM EST