US Presence in the Middle East

Introduction:

Southwest Asia, also known as the Middle East, has been a region of great importance for the United States. The U.S. has been involved in numerous conflicts in the region, including the Persian Gulf War, and invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. In this article, we will explore the reasons behind the U.S. presence in the region and the conflicts that have resulted. 

The Persian Gulf War

In 1990, Iraq invaded and occupied neighboring Kuwait, a small but wealthy oil-producing nation on the Persian Gulf. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein claimed Kuwait was illegally drilling for oil in territory belonging to Iraq. However, Hussein's true motives were to gain control over Kuwait's vast oil reserves and annex its territory to expand Iraq's access to the Persian Gulf.

The United States had a vested interest in responding to Iraq's aggression. Protecting the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf region was vital for the U.S. and global economy, as over half of the world's oil reserves are located there. The U.S. also had longstanding strategic interests in the Middle East, centered around alliance with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Allowing Iraq to invade Kuwait unchallenged could destabilize the region, threaten Saudi Arabia, and jeopardize U.S. oil interests.

In response, the U.S. spearheaded a United Nations-authorized coalition of 34 nations to launch Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, collectively known as the Persian Gulf War. Over 500,000 U.S. troops were deployed to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf region. Beginning in January 1991, the U.S. led an extensive six-week air campaign, dropping over 88,000 tons of bombs to destroy Iraq's infrastructure and military capabilities. This was followed by a massive ground offensive of coalition forces that quickly liberated Kuwait and drove Iraqi troops back across the border.

The overwhelming military dominance of U.S. forces compelled Iraq to accept a cease-fire agreement in late February 1991, ending the Persian Gulf War after just six weeks of fighting. However, the U.S. victory came at a high cost, with over $60 billion spent and 148 U.S. military personnel killed in action.

More significantly, the Persian Gulf War had unintended long-term consequences. The large U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia angered Islamic fundamentalists like Osama bin Laden, leading to the emergence of anti-American terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. And the war left Saddam Hussein in power, leading the U.S. to invade Iraq again in 2003 on faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction. So in many ways, the short-term success of the Persian Gulf War led to greater challenges for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East in the following decades.

The Invasion of Afghanistan

In response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, the United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. The goal was to overthrow the Taliban government that had been harboring Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attacks. The U.S. aimed to destroy al-Qaeda's base of operations in Afghanistan and install a new government that would not provide safe haven for terrorist groups.

Initially, only 300 CIA operatives and U.S. special forces were deployed to support the anti-Taliban Afghan militias. However, it quickly became clear that a much larger force was needed to defeat the Taliban and secure the country. At the operation's peak, there were over 100,000 U.S. troops from all military branches deployed to Afghanistan, working alongside NATO allies and Afghan national forces.

Despite its technological advantages, the U.S. military faced monumental challenges fighting in the extremely remote and mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. Lacking infrastructure like roads and airports, troops had to be inserted and supplied via helicopters. The porous borders with Pakistan also allowed Taliban insurgents to retreat, regroup, and continue fighting. These factors contributed to the war dragging on.

After the Taliban were removed from power in 2001, the U.S. shifted focus to rebuilding Afghanistan politically and economically. But the Taliban rebuilt as well, launching deadly attacks to destabilize the new government. The U.S. got bogged down trying to prop up the weak central government in Kabul while fighting off the resilient Taliban. Despite over 2,400 U.S. troops killed and over $2 trillion spent, the Taliban ultimately seized back control in 2021 after the U.S. withdrew.

The 20-year conflict severely destabilized Afghanistan, displacing millions internally and externally as refugees. The power vacuum led to the emergence of other extremist groups like ISIS-K. The human costs were immense, with over 47,000 Afghan civilians estimated killed. The longest war in American history ultimately ended unsuccessfully, with minimal gains to justify the tremendous costs.

The Invasion of Iraq

In 2003, the United States led an invasion of Iraq under the administration of President George W. Bush. The Bush administration claimed that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possessed stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and maintained ties to terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. They argued Iraq posed an imminent threat to U.S. national security, necessitating preemptive military action.

However, the rationale for war was disputed, both domestically and globally. No evidence of WMDs or terrorist links emerged. Major U.S. allies like France and Germany opposed the invasion, arguing it lacked justification under international law without U.N. Security Council approval. Massive protests against the war occurred worldwide, including from the American public. But with Congress's authorization, the Bush administration launched Operation Iraqi Freedom regardless in March 2003.

The initial invasion force consisted of over 175,000 U.S. and coalition troops. They faced relatively little opposition from Iraq's weakened military, ousting Saddam Hussein from power in just over a month. Bush infamously declared "mission accomplished" soon after. However, the U.S. then faced a fierce Sunni-led insurgency and a breakdown of civil order the Occupation authorities were unprepared for. Pre-war planning to stabilize Iraq post-invasion was inadequate. The conflict descended into a bloody sectarian civil war.

The U.S. ended up deploying hundreds of thousands more troops to try and quell the violence, to little avail. The war dragged on for 8 years, far longer than anticipated. No WMDs were ever located, undermining the premise for invasion. Over 4,400 U.S. troops were killed, with tens of thousands more wounded. Over 200,000 Iraqi civilians died. Iraq's infrastructure and economy were left devastated.

The power vacuum and instability caused by ousting Hussein's regime contributed heavily to the rise of extremist groups like ISIS. Many critics saw the invasion as a strategic blunder that destabilized the entire region, fueled anti-American sentiment, and distracted from the fight against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The enormous costs of the war with minimal gains fueled a decline in support for Bush's interventionist foreign policy approach.

U.S. Interests in Southwest Asia

Apart from the conflicts, the U.S. has other interests in Southwest Asia, including ensuring the stability of the region and protecting its allies, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. The region is also important for the U.S. economy due to its oil reserves. However, the conflicts have had significant human and economic costs, and the U.S. faces ongoing challenges in achieving its goals in the region.