1

US AND WESTERN INVOLVEMENT IN MIDDLE EAST

SINCE THE END OF COLD WAR

Naeem Dar

Abstract

Since the end of Cold War the Middle East region has been a point of central
focus of the US and other major powers of the world and especially after the incident of
9/11 has been undergoing a series of both interstate and intrastate conflicts. The
transatlantic alliance has displayed its deep involvement in the region through relentless
use of both political and military instruments, which has not only ravished the peace and
security of the region, but has gone a long way in transforming the socio- political and
cultural image of Islamic world; representing Islam as a violent religion and the biggest
threat to the global peace. The prevailing US policy towards Middle East needs to be
analyzed in the Realist paradigm as to what ends the regional peace has been hacked for
so long in conjunction with unabated media onslaught to malign Islam. The purpose of
this research is to explore if the Role of US and her Western allies in the Middle East fits
into the framework proposed by Theory of Clash of Civilizations; to examine the geo-
strategic importance of Middle East and the subjective nature of global security threats
emanating from the region.

Keywords: Terrorism, Middle East, Arab Spring, Clash of Civilizations Theory, Cold

War, proxy wars, War on terror

Introduction

Middle East is explained as a region at the cross roads of Eurasian landmass. Its

distinct geography, natural resources, and religious diversity make it a hotbed for

interaction of great powers and non-state actors in the region. The region is a center of
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gravity for all Semitic religions and the passion for its domination has been leading to

several crusades in early centuries of past millennium. The political tug of war between

the Cold War era super powers and regional conflicts have kept the region under trauma

of war throughout the period of post WW-II; earlier in the form of Arab- Israel Conflict

and later due to interstate conflicts resulting into major wars between states. The Iran

Revolution which was purely aimed at revival of Islamic values was misinterpreted as

Shia revolution by rest of the Arab world thereby adding a new dimension to regional

conflicts and dividing the Islamic world into two distinct halves. The end of cold war

also marks the era of paradigm shift in the US Foreign policy and the strategies became

more geo-economic oriented than erstwhile geo-strategic.

The event of 9/11 kicked off the phase of US involvement in Afghanistan and

Middle East which continues till date. The US along with her 39 NATO allies invaded

Afghanistan with the object to overthrow Taliban regime and extinct terrorism from face

of the earth. How far US succeeded in attaining her goals is self-explanatory as more than

60% of Afghan territory is still under the control of Taliban group and US is ready to quit

Afghanistan anytime under political pressures back at home. America is the chief

proponent of Democratic values and how could America resist not fiddling with the

prevailing oppressive regimes based on Monarchy in the Middle East. The unrest caused

by Arab spring in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria Tunis, Libya and Egypt stands testimony to

American desire of spreading liberal and democratic values. The Arab Nationalism

which was the main driving force behind Arab states though finished long back in 1980s

was completed uprooted to pave way for the expansion of Israel. The presence of US and

her Western allies in Middle East is a source of great concern for the security of regional
 3

countries as it has not only stimulated several religo-ethno political struggles in the

region but has also marred the soft image of Islam through relentless Islamophobia media

Campaign. More over the Clash of Civilizations propounded in 1993 is also believed to

have considerable connection with American Intervention in Middle East.

With this proposition in view the research shall critically analyze the difference

between proclaimed goals and the covert schemes underpinning the Western Intervention

in Middle East; the last section of the paper shall be dealing with the justification for

confrontation between civilizations. The research is Significant as it shall develop better

understanding of the actual character of war, enabling accurate threat perception and

formulation of appropriate strategies to reinstate socio-political and economic stability in

the region.

Objectives

The research will attempt to highlight that Middle East is a strategically important

and resource rich region and its domination was essential for power maximization by US;

a politically unstable and militarily weak Middle East is much more suitable to Israel and

Western world; and to ratify that Islamic Civilization is perceived as a major threat to

Western civilization which provided a justification for intervention in Middle East.

Hypothesis

“War on Terror” is actually “War against Islam”

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Research Questions

 What is the geostrategic significance of Middle East?

 What are the US and Western Interests in Middle East ?

 Why Civilizations would clash?

Theoretical Framework

The US/Western intervention in Middle East affairs should not appeal strange to folks

who view the character of US from the lens of Realism theory. States have an insatiable

appetite for power or what Morgenthau calls, “a limitless lust for power.” This means that

they persistently look for prospects to take the offensive and dominate other states.1 In other

words, aggressive behavior is compulsory for survival of the state. And their aggressive

behavior is not because of some motivation to dominate; rather they need to maximize their

power to ensure chances to survive.2 Middle East being rich in black Gold had the capacity

to sponsor pending off shore expeditions of US therefore control of vast oil reserves in the

region assumed primary interest of USA.

In 1996, late US political scientist Samuel P. Huntington published the book -The Clash

of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Huntington says that, after the demise of

cold war the wars shall not be fought between countries rather various religious and cultural

entities will wage wars to dominate other civilizations. Huntington Claimed that Islam and

Christianity have been rivals since seventh Century onwards and after the fall of communism

1
John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New york: W. W. Norton and Company, 2001),
PDF e-book
2
Ibid.
 5

in 1989 both shall frequently re-appear in geopolitical conflicts in future as well.3 Huntington

believed that after the age of ideology had passed away the world would return to primitive

nature of conflicts as it used to be between nations and ideologies, struggles against

monarchies in the western world.4

Huntington’s theory received vivid criticism on behalf of scholars hailing from all

schools of thought. Noam Chomsky criticized the concept of the clash of civilizations as

just being a new explanation for the United States "for any atrocities that they wanted to

carry out", which was required after the Cold War as the Soviet Union was no longer a viable

threat.5 The Realists believe that Huntington’s clash of civilizations thesis offer an

altogether new model of world politics which defies the basic assumptions of Realist and

Neo- realist models. While the realist and neo-realist models focus on state and system

domination respectively, Huntington’s theory focuses on cultural and religious factors.6

Noam Chomsky highlights that every year the White House presents to Congress a

statement describing reasons for having a huge military budget. For fifty years, it used the

pretext of a Soviet threat. However, after the end of the Cold War, that pretext was gone.

Therefore, Huntington constructed the Islamic threat as a pretext to justify the need for

maintaining and enhancing the defense-industrial base.7 Emma Ashford writes in her online

article published in Journal “Cato Unbound” that no US administration has come close to

3
Carole Cusack, “Did the Crusades Lead to Islamic State,” The Conversation, last modified 23 February, 2016,
https://theconversation.com/did-the-crusades-lead-to-islamic-state-54478
4
John Baylis, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens, eds., The Globalization of World Politics, (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2011), 416-426
5
Trystan CJ, Noam Chomsky on the Clash of Civilizations, YouTube video, accessed on December 7, 2019,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT64TNho59I
6
Bernard Lewis, “The Roots of Muslim Rage: Why so Many Muslims Deeply Resent the West and Why their
Bitterness will Not be Easily Mollified,” The Atlantic, September 1990, 47-58,
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1990/09/the-roots-of-muslim-rage/304643/
7
Noam Chomsky, “Clash of Civilization” (Lecture delivered at a Symposium in India in January 2002),
http://www.india-seminar.com/2002/509/509%20noam%20chomsky.htm
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embracing a Huntingtonian view of the world; both the Bush and Obama administrations

rejected it, highlighting repeatedly that America was fighting violent extremists, not

Islam itself.8 This paper shall endeavor to analyze the actions of US/Western world in Middle

East within the bounds of theory of Realism and Clash of Civilizations theory.

Methodology

This research shall be covering the period from end of Cold war till date, while

employing qualitative method and using secondary sources including books, online books,

articles, Journals, seminars, Newspapers and private website pages on internet. Having

scanned the complete literature available online, a gap was observed that not many authors

have penned down their opinion on the concept of Clash of Civilization. However most

authors predominantly of western origin simply denounce the theory as they claim it to be

not in line with the Realist school of thought, therefore not much could be found in support

of basic argument of this research paper.

Geostrategic Significance of Middle East

The Middle East lies at the natural crossroads of Eurasian landmass and is also known as

land of seven seas including Caspian Sea, black sea, Arabian Sea, Red sea, Mediterranean

Sea, Aegean Sea and Marmora Sea who surround the area from all directions9. The limits of

Middle East are also contested. Classically speaking Afghanistan does not fall in the Middle

East but for the reasons of regional contiguity, common threat perception, common

adversaries (West versus Islamic civilization) and common Strategic military command

8
Emma Ashford, “What We Get Wrong About the Clash of Civilizations,” Cato Unbound, (February 6, 2017)
https://www.cato-unbound.org/2017/02/06/emma-ashford/what-we-get-wrong-about-clash-civilizations
9
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Aomar Boum, eds., A Concise History of the Middle East, (New York: Routledge,
2018), 9.
 7

(CENTCOM) dealing with both Afghanistan and Middle East, we place Afghanistan in

Middle East region for the purpose of this research paper. Other regional countries include

Egypt, Saudi Arab Iraq, Iran Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Jordan Syria,

Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Turkey. The region dominates the important sea routs which

increase its geo-strategic significance manifolds. These sea routes if choked shall have

serious implications of strategic nature on the whole world.

The most important of all waterways surrounding Middle East is Suez Canal because of

its distinct strategic placement. The importance of Suez Canal can be gauged from the fact

that in year 2018, nearly 18000 vessels traversed through Suez Canal.10 Suez Canal reduces

the journey from India to Europe by about 8,000 km by skipping around the Cape of Good

Hope.

Another other most important choke point in Middle East is strait of Bab el Mandeb

located between Djibouti (the Horn of Africa) and Yemen. It is an important Strategic link

between Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Djibouti houses Military basis of several countries

including China (Liberation Army support base), France (Air Force base), USA (Naval base)

and Japan’s self Defense force base. Strait of Harmuz is another waterway in the region

which is one of the world’s most strategically important choke points. As per latest reports

21 million barrels of petroleum passed through the strait, on daily basis in 2018 that

constitutes 21% of total oil consumption of the world making it a highly important strategic

location for international trade.11 Bosporus strait is another choke point which connects black

sea with Sea of Marmara and which gives further access to Aegean and Mediterranean Sea.

It is the only access for numerous countries, including Russia and Ukraine to warm waters.

10
Jon Shumake, “Suez Canal has Record-Setting 2018,” American Shipper, February 21, 2019,
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/suez-canal-has-record-setting-2018
11
“eia; Today in Energy “ Jun 20, 2019, https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39932
 8

Lastly Persian Gulf is another significant feature and its strategic value can be gauged

from the fact that 28 % of world’s oil production is attributed to this region. Beside all above

Middle East is also a holy place for all the Semitic religions as it is the birth place of

Judaism, Christianity and Islam; therefore they all claim their right to possess the area and

has been a scene of several religious wars between Islam and Christianity in medieval times.

Natural Resources

Middle East is bestowed with huge petroleum deposits, more than half of the world’s

known reserves. Oil has magnified the Middle East’s importance. Its blessings, though, are

showered on but few countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab

Emirates.12 Several times in the past, Arabs have used oil as a political weapon by putting

embargo on oil export to influence the opinion of great powers on the issue of Arab Israel

conflict.13 The Gulf countries produce 28% of world’s total oil supply and Saudi Arabia is

world’s second largest supplier. Approximately 85% of the oil produced by Gulf countries is

exported to Asian countries which passes through strait of Harmuz which if choked shall

have a deadly effect on the global economy.

US and Western Interests in Middle East

By the end of World War–II United States had come to consider the Middle East region

as strategically most important area of the world14 and “one of the greatest material prizes in

world history.”15 Noam Chomsky argues, “America looks upon Israel as a real and only

democracy, and as a security anchor in the Middle East. For a long time the US has funded
12
Arthur Goldschmidt, A Concise History of the Middle East (New York: Westview Press, 1988), 9.
13
Roy Licklider, “The Power of Oil: The Arab Oil Weapon and the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada,
Japan and the United States,” International Studies Quarterly 32. no. 2 (June 1988): 205-226,
https://academic.oup.com/isq/article-abstract/32/2/205/1851038
14
Noam Chomsky, ”Imperial Presidency” Canadian dimension, (January/February 2005), Vol 39, 8.
15
Ibid.
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Israel for the enhancement of her defense capabilities that maintain Israel's military

advantage over its neighbors.”16 While the Israeli expansion in Palestinian territory is on

consistent rise, US continues her relentless support to Israeli cause on all forums and has

been using veto on UNSC resolutions that might harm the Israeli interests.

On December 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump announced the United States

recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel17.Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as

Israel's capital was rejected by a majority of world leaders. The United Nations Security

Council held an emergency meeting on December 7, 2017 where 14 out of 15 members

condemned Trump's decision, but the motion was vetoed by the United States.18 Britain,

France, Sweden, Italy and Japan were among the countries who criticized Trump's decision

at the emergency meeting.

The American support to Israel cannot be termed as generic support to a common allied

state involved in some routine interstate conflict. Indeed Israel is the instrument of

America’s policy in the Middle East. Israel is not only used as a base of defense in American

strategy in the Middle East, but also as a political base that shares the same political values,

thoughts, and religious beliefs system. This is one of the reasons, why the US invests a lot of

money on Israel. Now coming on to US relations with Iran, the US policy has very clear

guidelines for the suppression of Iran. During Raza Shah Pehlvi’s regime Iran was

considered as policeman of America in the pro-Russian Middle East. In Muslim world this

revolution was interpreted as Shia revolution which stimulated a new dimension of Shia

Sunni conflict in Islamic world. Subsequently during first Gulf war (1990-1991) US and her

16
Ibid.
17
“Govinfo” accessed on Nov 16, 2019, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2017-12-11/2017-26832
18
“Federal Register,” December 11, 2017, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2017-12-11/pdf/2017-
26832.pdf#page=1
 10

35 allies stepped in Saudi Arab to form coalition force against Iraq. This was the first ever

moment when American soldiers physically landed on Middle East soil. Israel together with

US considers Iran as the archrival and biggest threat to the regional security. A short period

of thaw in US-Iran relations prevailed from July 2015 to May 2018 as a result of P5+1

agreement over the nuclear program of Iran which ended with the unilateral statement of

President Trump on May 8, 2018 that US was withdrawing from the deal19

In Pursuit of Democracy

During the Cold war era the major contests between both world powers had been

exporting their respective form of political system to the rest of the world. Since the

emergence of USA as a world power, supporting democracy has been a priority in US

foreign Affairs in which it has been on every president’s agenda. President George W. Bush

in his second term inaugural address said, “America is a nation with a mission, and that

mission comes from our basic beliefs … It is the policy of the United States to seek and

support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture.”20

The phenomenon of Arab spring (2011) is the true manifestation of American designs of

spreading democracy in Middle East. It started from Tunisia in the form of a protest which

provided a driving force for the masses to overthrow oppressive governments in Tunisia and

Egypt. The effects of Tunisian Revolution spread strongly to five other countries; Libya,

Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain where either the regimes were toppled or major uprisings

and social violence occurred, including riots, civil wars and insurgencies.

19
Dominic Green, “Trump has Taken a Big Gamble on Iran, but for the Right Reasons. It might just Pay off,”
The Spectator , May 12, 2018, https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/05/trump-has-taken-a-big-gamble-on-iran-but-
for-the-right-reasons-it-might-just-pay-off/
20
Thomas Carothers, “U.S Democracy Promotion During and After Bush,” Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, September 5, 2007, https://carnegieendowment.org/2007/09/05/u.s.-democracy-promotion-
during-and-after-bush-pub-19549
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Control of Oil Fields

Control of oilfields has always been a close to heart desire of US. Middle East’s

significance for US can be gauged from statement of ex- US president Jimmy Carter address

in response to USSR ‘s intervention in Afghanistan in 1979; he said,

“Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of

the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United

States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including

military force.”

After the end of cold war there was a paradigm shift in the global strategy of US for

pursuing her goals to maximize her power and consolidate her status as the sole hegemon of

the world. The US policies took a sharp turn from geo-strategic to geo-economic. After

becoming sole power of the world, US economy needed to grow at a larger pace than ever as

it was to face new challenges coming its way ahead.

Global War on Terrorism

Post 9/11 situation, dynamics of warfare and world politics have altogether changed. The

extended role of non-state actors in security paradigm has not only transformed the warfare

to multiple dimensions but has also marred the ability of policy makers to perceive the threat

correctly. George Monbiot writes in his article in The Guardian Daily, “The notion of a

"war" against "terrorism" has proven contentious, with critics charging that it has been

exploited by participating governments to pursue long-standing policy/military objectives.”21

21
George Monbiot, “A Willful Blindness,” The Guardian Daily, Mar 11, 2003,
https://www.monbiot.com/2003/03/11/a-wilful-blindness/
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As per Watson Institute’s calculations the cost of war for US since 9/11 till FY2019

amounts to USD 5.9 trillion.22 Question arises that having spent such mammoth amount, has

America been successful in achieving her declared goals; if the answer is ‘NO’ then there

stands an argument that either the pronounced goals were irrationally conceived or there

were some other objectives underpinning this prolonged war. Whatever the objectives may

have been but one policy of US is crystal clear that regardless of the results of pending US

Presidential elections, America shall be moving out of Afghanistan under huge political and

public pressures at home.

The words of erstwhile US President George W. Bush on the day of 9/11 incident and

later on the National day of mourning of 3000 Victims of attack, shall never be forgotten by

the annuls of history. During his address he said, “this crusade- the war on terrorism is going

to take a while."23

The Offensive realist school of thought explicitly explains the character of a great power

that it tends to behave aggressively in pursuit of her desire to maximize her power24 but a

question arises that why a hegemon in pursuit of her goals to maximize her power fails to

learn certain obvious lessons from history and during the course of making rational choices

tends to commit suicidal mistakes. For instance, US chose to invade Afghanistan which was

though a rational decision in view of US’s overwhelming ascendency in relative power

distribution. But now the time has proved that the decision was suicidal on part of America

22
Neta C. Crawford, “ Costs of War Estimates Through FY2019,” Watson Institute of International and Public
Affairs,
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2018/Crawford_Costs%20of%20War%20Estimates
%20Through%20FY2019%20.pdf
23
President George W. Bush, “Remarks by the President on Arrival,” The White House, September 16, 2001,
https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010916-2.html
24
John J. Mearsheimer. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2001),
PDF e-book
 13

as she is ready to quit Afghanistan without achieving any of the quantified goals. On the

other hand Taliban control over Afghan land is thriving as never before in history; rather they

are aspiring to control whole Afghanistan without even getting into any deal. Taliban have

nothing at stakes; they have no time limits; they can continue the war for another decade if

deemed appropriate; they have nothing to lose; Afghanistan was a barren and arid land

without any development infrastructure before war and still is the same. But certainly

America has everything at stakes that Afghanistan does not have. The question arises that

why the hegemon failed to learn a lesson from the fate of USSR whose ashes are also buried

in the soil of Afghanistan. Why the US failed to comprehend that the British, and Czarist

Russia in their prime time could not subdue Afghanistan during great games in 19th and early

20th centuries.

Why Civilizations would Clash

According to Huntington the world is becoming a smaller place. As a result interactions

across the world are increasing which intensify Civilization consciousness. Simultaneously

the economic regionalism is also increasing which shall only prosper when it is rooted in

common civilizations. Moreover he also says that the Western world is the architect of

present global structure (UNO and its agencies) and while they are at the peak of their

power they have the desire, the will and the resources to shape the world in western ways. 25

Since the advent of faster communication means and media boom the world has literally

shrunk into global village and as a result the people to people contact has virtually

transcended the territorial borders between the states. Where it has given rise to socio-

25
Samuel P. Huntington. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (New York: Simon
and Schuster Paperbacks, 1996), PDF e-book
 14

cultural understanding of common folks, it has also instilled certain fears about other

civilizations. Islamophobia is one pertinent example of it, which has spread like jungle fire

in all corners of the world.

Huntington believed that while the age of ideology had ended, the world had only

reverted to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict.26

Samuel P. Huntington divides the complete world into eight major civilizations basing on

the religion and culture. Of these eight civilizations Huntington picks Islam and Western

civilizations to be focus of future geostrategic politics in the world. Huntington goes on to

say that confrontation with Islamic world is more imminent as it has experienced a massive

population explosion which is fueling instability both on the borders of Islam and in its

interior, where fundamentalist movements are becoming increasingly popular. He refers

Iranian revolution and Gulf war as the manifestation of this instability.27

Huntington sees Islamic civilization as a potential ally to China.28 Specifically, he

identifies common Chinese and Islamic interests in the areas of weapons proliferation,

human rights, and democracy that conflict with those of the West, and feels that these are

areas in which the two civilizations will cooperate. If we analyze present day dynamics of

China and the Middle East both seem to be on same page as both are staunch disbelievers of

democracy. West believes that socialist regime in china and authoritarian regimes in Middle

East are exceptionally despotic in nature and endure grave human rights violation. Although

as yet china is not overtly supporting Islamic world but covertly she is increasing her

26
Ibid.
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
 15

influence with Taliban, Iran and Syria while asserting full cooperation with Pakistan in both

economic and defence fields.29

Huntington terms Russia, Japan, and India as 'Swing Civilizations' and may favor either

side.30 The character of Russia India and Japan befits the template prescribed by Huntington

as Russia has been observed asserting power in Chechnya and on the other hand it is

cooperating with Syria Iran and Taliban against western interests. The character of India and

Japan is also quite evident from her close ties with Middle East on one hand and on the

other hand it supports Western rhetoric of human rights violation and democratic values.

Huntington argues that a "Sino-Islamic connection" is emerging in which China will

cooperate more closely with Iran, Pakistan, and other states to augment its international

position.31 As far as Pak china relations are concerned Huntington has been very precise in

hitting the bull. The CPEC project and joint research program in Defence production are the

manifestation of strong economic and defense cooperation between both countries.

Huntington believes that Christianity and Islam are both missionary religions seeking

conversion of others. Both religions believe that only their faith is correct one and rest all

are heretics which is sufficient cause for confrontation between both32 he further argues that

Islamic fundamentalists are infuriated with the concept of Western Universalism- that is all

civilizations should adopt Western values. He argues that this contest would lead to a

bloody clash between both civilizations.33

29
Geoffrey Kemp, The East Moves West: India, China and Asia’s Growing Presence in the Middle East
(Washington, D.C.: Bookings Institute Press, 2012), 64-102.
30
Ibid.
31
Ibid.
32
Ibid.
33
Ibid.
 16

The authors who defied Huntington’s Theory of Clash of Civilizations classifying it as

mere personal hunch ought to confess that no matter whether the theory qualifies the

Realpolitik ideals or not but truth of the matter is that the prevailing geopolitical situation

precisely fits into the postulates of the theory propounded by Huntington. So, it can be

deduced that either the theory stands justified or even if it was merely a hunch, it at least

provoked Western world to create a specter in the form of Islamic terrorism and neutralize

potential threat emanating from Islamic world beside attainment of geostrategic goals to

control the oilfields and maximization of power.

Findings

The facts surfaced during the course of research work are as follow:-

 Leaving aside the conspiracy theory that the theory of Clash of Civilization was actually

manufactured on the behest of American policy makers to pave way for pending US

interventions in Middle East while depicting her intervention to be a natural consequence

of global security paradigm; it is also not far from reality that after the collapse of USSR

America required an alternate competitor to pursue her expansionist designs and

maximize his influence as the sole hegemon of the world, and that competitor was

engineered in the form of Islamic terrorism. The fault lines in the form of Monarchies,

religious extremism, illiteracy, socio- economic imbalance and numerous structural

inequities amply existing in Muslim world provided a favorable cultivating ground for

construction of a potent enemy for the western world to follow.

 17

 US failed to achieve any of the pronounced goals as they were not actual goals; however

the real goals including Political instability of Middle East, proliferation of extremism

and splitting the already fragmented Muslim world were successfully achieved.

 US intervention was targeted at power maximization by controlling the oil fields and

exhausting the war potential of the Muslim world.

 Difference of culture and value system between Middle East and West resulted into Clash

between both.

 West believes that, it built the international system, wrote its laws, and hatched the

existing global infrastructure (United Nations and its agencies) therefore it has the right

to shape the world in western ways. Therefore the West at the peak of its power

confronted non-Western countries (Middle East) as they had the desire, the will and the

resources to shape the world in western ways.

 The words of erstwhile US President George W. Bush shall never be forgotten by the

annuls of history (on the day of 9/11 incident and later on the National day of mourning

of 3000 Victims of attack), during his address he said, “This crusade-the war on terror is

going to take a while.” This statement explicitly defines the true nature of war as a

cultural one.

 In the light of all the findings mentioned above, it shall not be far from reality that the

War on terror is basically a misnomer; the actual terminology for this protracted war

should have been war against Islamic civilization which aptly validates the Theory of

Clash of Civilizations.
 18

Way Forward

Thucydides writes in his History of the Peloponnesian War, “Strong do what they can;

the weak suffer what they must.”34 From the realpolitik point of view the behavior of US and

western world stands justified as there is no room for morality in the world without an

overarching authority, therefore it shall be rather unfair to blame other civilizations for their

aggressive designs. Indeed their disunity, nincompoop geostrategic policies and numerous

pervasive fault lines in the Islamic world led them to an ill-fated destiny. The Middle Eastern

countries in particular and rest of the Muslim world need to revisit their domestic policies

and remove structural violence from their system of governments to present a homogeneous

and formidable response to challenges posed by external world. The existing platform

available in form of OIC needs to be utilized for economic prosperity of the region,

unification of Islamic world, revival of Islamic values and revitalization of true spirit of

Islamic brotherhood.

Conclusion

The above discussion in the light of works done by aforementioned scholars reveal that

Middle East is a region of great geostrategic significance, owing to its unique geography,

domination over most significant trade routes and colossal natural resources. With the fall of

USSR, the ideological war between both super powers came to an end. In these

circumstances US required an alternate rival in pursuit of whom it could exercise his power,

promote her war economy and accomplish her longstanding desire to shape the world in

western ways.. The event of 9/11 and numerous fault lines in the socio- political system of

34
Mary Beard. Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations. London: Profile Books Ltd,
2013. PDF e-book
 19

Middle East provided an opportunity for US to secure foothold in the region. The erstwhile

socio- political culture of Middle East was believed to be oppressive and highly appalling in

the eyes of western world, and the bounties Middle East offered were huge; so the US

intervention of Middle East was rationally justified. The declaration of goals to demolish

weapons mass destruction, extinct terrorism and restoration of peace was merely a feint

activity to provide justification for aggression.

US and rest of the world equipped with state of the art military arsenal and all the

resources at hand failed to accomplish the declare objectives of war on terror. The religo-

ethnic polarization, extremism, and terrorism further flourished with mushroom growth of

many other insurgent groups like Da’ish and ISIS in the region. Israel became much more

assertive in her expansionist designs; armed struggles against regimes in Tunisia, Libya,

Egypt Yemen, Bahrain and Syria not only jolted the inner stability of respective countries but

also uprooted the concept of Arab nationalism thereby shifting regional balance of power in

the favor of Israel; The Islamophobia spread around the world and marred the image of Islam

through relentless media campaign. Taliban became even more assertive in Afghanistan.

Despite spending mammoth resources and employing strongest military machines, the

state of affairs in Middle East further worsened is one fact, which is indigestible for any sane

person. However, if the enumerated objectives are reversed, the reality shall be unraveled,

meaning thereby that the real goals of intervention were what on ground situation transpires

in present date.

The theory of clash of civilization whether acceptable to realist school of thought or not,

but it at least served the purpose and provoked western world to direct their energies towards
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the center of Islamic civilization. The above analysis prove the fact that the postulates of

theory fit into the on ground realities so precisely that it qualifies the merit to be termed as

prophetic revelations rather than calling it as mere theory. If this is not the case, then it can be

concluded that the theory was propounded at the behest of US Administration and

subsequently applied in true latter and spirit by US and western world to carry forward the

legacy of crusaders fought between both religions several times since seventh century

onwards.
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