THE Middle East has long been a battleground in which imperial powers have played out their power games by creating, enhancing and exploiting regional tensions. However, the most recent plans of the US to “reshape” the region go back some 18 years to the speech made by then US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, in July 2006 when she stated that the US was seeking major change in the Middle East.
Under successive US presidents since then, the concept of a Greater Middle East has evolved. President Obama developed the US’s New Middle East Plan to reassert influence and bolster resource control in the region. Obama’s version of the plan resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran in 2015 and a more nuanced approach to containing the perceived threat of Iran to the regional power balance.
Donald Trump took a more belligerent approach, tearing up the JCPOA in 2018, taking a clear position of supporting the objectives of Israel to be the region’s dominant military power and protector of US interests.