United States foreign policy in the Middle East: From Bush's war on terrorism to Obama's selective engagement

Bliski istok je regija koja od završetka Drugog svjetskog rata, zbog brojnih strateških, političkih i gospodarskih interesa, bilježi trend porasta američke prisutnosti u regiji. Tijekom Hladnog rata vanjskopolitičke poteze američkih predsjednika velikim dijelom određivalo je rivalstvo dvaju tadašnjih svjetskih sila – SAD-a i SSSR-a, što je rezultiralo preciznijim formulacijom vanjske politike Sjedinjenih Država. Napuštanjem koncepta ravnoteže sile SAD nastoji iskoristiti unipolarni moment i preuzeti globalno vodstvo, namećući posebno dizajnirana rješenja kojima se nastoji pokazati američka nadmoć. Osim toga, pokazalo se kako je posthladnoratovskim predsjednicima postalo teže formirati koherentnu vanjsku politiku prema Bliskom istoku, s obzirom na raspršenost novih međunarodnih izazova i opasnosti, što se posebno iskazalo tijekom Busheve i Obamine administracije. Busheva administracija susrela se s posebnim događajem koji je obilježio početak 21. stoljeća te odredio njegovu cjelokupnu vanjsku politiku prema Bliskom istoku. Mnogi sporovi koje je ostavio u naslijeđe, otežali su Obami formiranje jedinstvenog strateškog plana djelovanja, što pokazuje da Sjedinjene Države i dalje traže jasan smjer u kojem žele razvijati američku vanjsku politiku u kompleksnoj regiji Bliskog istoka.The Middle East is a region that since the end of World War II, due to a number of strategic, political and economic interests, captures an increasing trend of the US presence in the region. During the Cold War foreign policy procedures of American presidents were largely determined by rivalry between the two of the then world powers – The United States and the Soviet Union, resulting in a more precise formulation of US foreign policy. By abandoning the concept of balance of power the USA seeks to use unipolar moment and take global leadership, imposing specially designed solutions with which attempts to demonstrate American supremacy. Moreover, it was showed that the post – Cold War presidents had more difficult experience in forming coherent foreign policy towards the Middle East, given the dispersion of new international challenges and threats, which were particulary expressed during the Bush and Obama administration. The Bush administration met with the special event that marked the beginning of the 21st century and determined its overall foreign policy towards Middle East. Many disputes that he left as his legacy aggravated the Obama formation of a unique strategic plan of action, which indicates that the United States continue to seek a clear direction in which they want to develop their own foreign policy in a complex region of the Middle East