Returning to the Middle East: The Second Term Amidst the Arab Uprisings | ISPI
Skip to main content

Search form

  • INSTITUTE
  • CLERICI PALACE
  • CONTACT US
  • MEDMED

  • login
  • EN
  • IT
Home
  • INSTITUTE
  • CLERICI PALACE
  • CONTACT US
  • MEDMED
  • Home
  • RESEARCH
    • CENTRES
    • Asia
    • Cybersecurity
    • Europe and Global Governance
    • Business Scenarios
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • Radicalization and International Terrorism
    • Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia
    • Infrastructure
    • PROGRAMMES
    • Africa
    • Energy Security
    • Global cities
    • Latin America
    • Migration
    • Religions and International Relations
    • Transatlantic Relations
  • ISPI SCHOOL
  • Publications
  • EVENTS
  • CORPORATE PROGRAMME
    • about us
    • Closed-door meetings
    • Scenario Conferences
    • Members
    • Executive Education
  • EXPERTS

  • Home
  • RESEARCH
    • CENTRES
    • Asia
    • Cybersecurity
    • Europe and Global Governance
    • Business Scenarios
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • Radicalization and International Terrorism
    • Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia
    • Infrastructure
    • PROGRAMMES
    • Africa
    • Energy Security
    • Global cities
    • Latin America
    • Migration
    • Religions and International Relations
    • Transatlantic Relations
  • ISPI SCHOOL
  • Publications
  • EVENTS
  • CORPORATE PROGRAMME
    • about us
    • Closed-door meetings
    • Scenario Conferences
    • Members
    • Executive Education
  • EXPERTS
Analysis

Returning to the Middle East: The Second Term Amidst the Arab Uprisings

13 December 2013

Abstract

This paper explores the extent to which the Arab uprisings that began in December 2010 have transformed US policy to the Middle East under Barack Obama’s presidency. The first term was marked by a desire to disengage from the type and scale of political commitments and military presence in the Middle East that were most strongly associated with Obama’s predecessor. The hesitancy which marked the US response to the first wave of protests across the Arab world has gradually given way to a series of selective commitments, particularly in Syria, Iran and Palestine-Israel, which have developed despite the reported personal reluctance of Obama himself. The paper will explore four major reasons for this partial reversal of stance: as a response to changing circumstances, a result of domestic pressures, arising from the role of key regional allies, and as part of the projection of international credibility. Overall, the paper examines the national and international dynamics that continue to propel heavy US engagement in the politics and conflicts of the Middle East, and the prospects for the Arab uprisings themselves in the context of a re-energised US policy approach.

Glen Rangwala is a University Lecturer and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University in England


VAI ALLO STUDIES

Read more:

Yemen War, Year 7: Southern Protests Lay Bare the Limits of Alternative Governance
Eleonora Ardemagni
ISPI
The Great Transition
Alessandro Colombo
Head Transatlantic Relations Programme
,
Paolo Magri
ISPI Executive Vice-President
The US' Energy Transition Between Rising Prices and Political Uncertainty
Marinella Davide
Harvard University and Ca' Foscari University
Military Police: A Crucial Tool in Russia's Syria Policy
Emmanuel Dreyfus
Research Fellow, IRSEM
From 'Lollars' to Default: Lebanon’s Financial Crisis
Gaja Pellegrini-Bettoli
Independent Journalist
Morsi’s Death Is yet Another Sombre Milestone in Egypt’s Transition
Lucia Ardovini
The Swedish Institute of International Affairs

Tags

United States Obama Second Term Middle East Arab Spring Defence Policy Security diplomacy Foreign policy
Versione stampabile
Download PDF

GET OUR UPDATES

SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

About ISPI - Work with us - Experts - Contact - For Media - Privacy

ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies) - Palazzo Clerici (Via Clerici 5 - 20121 Milan) - P.IVA IT02141980157