The U.S. in the Greater Middle East 1776 – 2015
(Osher-RIT Fall 2015)
For many Americans, consciousness of U.S. involvement in the Middle East probably began with the OPEC oil embargo of 1973. That was the year of the Yom Kippur War. On October 16 Syria and Egypt launched an attack on Israel. The U.S. responded by providing aid to Israel. In retaliation for that support, OPEC raised the price of oil by 70% to the then astonishing level of $5.11 per barrel.
Since then we have been in a state of ever-escalating tension and warfare with the countries and peoples of the Middle East. Many Americans are perplexed and confused by these developments. To them, the hostility towards America seems without cause or precedent. In their minds we have done nothing to deserve this level of animosity.
This class is intended to place these events in historical context. We will see that contentious relations with this region date back to the colonial era, even before the United States was an independent country. Most of the class time in this course will deal with the 20th century. We will examine U.S. relations with several of the key countries in the region, including: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
We will also be looking inside. Why have Americans, separated by wide oceans from any plausible adversary, been so obsessed throughout our history with the danger of invasion and subversion from abroad? How has a country whose founders regarded the idea of a standing army to be abhorrent become so enthralled by the idea of military glory?
The ten classes in this course will provide you with the background you need to understand how we got where we are today in our relations with the Greater Middle East.
As the start date of the course approaches, additional information will appear in the Posts section of this site providing additional details along with supplemental information for each of the individual classes.