In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on
New York and Washington DC, the Bush Administration
reformulated US foreign policy worldwide to combat
terrorism. This reformulation process seriously affected
US policy toward the Middle East and the Arabian
Gulf region in particular. Still, the essence of American
interests in the Arabian Gulf region is unchanged,
namely, maintaining regional stability and ongoing
oil prices. However, to achieve these goals, the US
administration changed its tactics in a certain way. This
is crystal clear in Washington’s tendencies regarding
three main Gulf states: Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Such changes may foster the appearance of a new
American approach to the Arabian Gulf region in
general, depending on the development of events in the
region during the coming two or three years.
The main theme of this lecture is US policy toward
Iraq. When the Bush Administration took office, it had a
strong desire to approach Iraq differently. But, agreement
was reached concerning this new practical approach.
Additionally, civilian officials in the Department of Defense
showed earnest resolve to adopt a fiercer military policy
against Saddam Hussein’s regime. However, realizing
that the system of international sanctions is becoming
increasingly indefensible, the present US Secretary of
State, Colin Powell, changed this system. This is in fact one
of the first initiatives of his policy.