U.S. Engagement Activities and the Peace Process in the Israeli-Arab Conflict

Abstract

Abstract : The United States has been actively engaged in trying to solve the Israeli-Arab conflict for more than 50 years. Each U.S. administration has brought its own unique approach in attempting to promote regional stability and has expended considerable resources in the process. The United States currently provides almost $6 billion annually in the Levant the countries of Israel and its bordering Arab neighbors of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, and includes the Palestinian Authority (PA) in economic and military assistance. Since 1974, the United States has provided more than $242 billion (in 2001 dollars) in economic and military assistance. Additionally, the United States has expended an indeterminate amount of time, energy, and political capital to help push the Peace Process forward. One question often asked is whether the benefit of active engagement is worth the cost? This study focuses on the U.S. national interests in the Middle East and what impact its engagement activities have had on promoting Israeli-Arab stability over the past several decades. At the heart of the analysis are discussions of what the physical costs of active engagement policies have been and the benefits derived from those investments for both the United States and the Levant. Three areas of active engagement are studied in detail: the cost and importance of ensuring free flow of oil from the region, the cost and impact of economic assistance to the countries of the Levant to promote economic viability, and the importance of controlled military sales to the region to maintain security and stability. The United States has frequently used its economic and military assistance programs as leverage to influence, persuade, and sometimes coerce the countries of the Levant to reach resolution to regional issues and support regional stability while promoting U.S. national interests. The success of leveraging these programs to promote the Peace Process is discussed in detail. The United