Security and Peace in the Middle East

Since the end of World War II, the United States' (US) national interests in the Middle East have been diverse and at times in conflict. US interests in the Middle East have been described as vital by every US president since Truman. At various times the US has supported nondemocratic regimes in the Middle East, usually based on one of three reasons: (1) ensuring Israel's national survival, (2) blocking the Soviet Union from establishing hegemony within the region, or (3) guaranteeing the uninterrupted flow of oil to American and Western industry and consumers. 'These three concernsoil, Israel, and the Soviet Unionwere the driving forces behind American Middle East policy throughout most of the period from the 1950s through the 1980s. Democratization was viewed, at best, as a secondary objective.