The US's effort to fix it's image in the M.I.

Although the two wars and supporting Israel in the Middle East has caused a bad reputation in the Middle East for the US, the US has worked to fix its' image.
One way how the US is trying to improve its' reputation is by pressuring Israel to stop settlement on Palestinian territory. The New York Times states,"The United States had offered Mr. Netanyahu a lucrative package of security and other incentives to agree to a 90-day extension." As you can see, America is trying to pressure Israel to stop the act of settling Palestinian land, which is a huge reason for the instability in the Palestinian-Israeli relationship. This instability causes tumult in other parts of the Middle East, such as Iran.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/world/middleeast/08diplo.html?src=twrhp

Iran US Relations

The relationship between Iran and the US has been an underlying factor influencing the Middle East. The US supported the autocratic regime of the Shah in order to control major aspects of Iran and the Middle East. This is the reason why many Iranians have resentment towards the US. This autocratic government was later toppled by an Islamic Revolution that took power in Iran. Further resentment of America was developed when America supported Iraq when it invaded Iran. Currently there is major tension between Iran and the US on there being supposedly Iranian nuclear weapons program. to the US this a threat to the stability of the Middle East and thus has placed innumerable pressure on Iran through sanction.
"The cumulative effect of sanctions has been to increasingly isolate Iran from the international financial system," said Levey. "Iran is effectively unable to access financial services from reputable banks. And it is finding it increasingly difficult to conduct major transactions in dollars or euros."

Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/US-Officials-Say-Iran-is-Feeling-Pinch-of-Economic-Sanctions-111163719.html

What is the view most Middle Eastern people have towards America?

Worldpublicopinion.com says, "As you may expect, the news is certainly not all good. There is a tremendous amount of mutual suspicion. The US is viewed negatively in virtually all Muslim countries. In a multi-country poll we just did for the BBC, we found that in all Muslim countries polled, majorities said that the US is having a mostly negative influence in the world and that the US military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents." As you can see there is tremendous misunderstanding and ill feeling of America due to the wars America has fought in the middle east.

"In some polls, views of the American people are not quite as negative as views of the United States or its government," as you can see Middle Eastern do not have malice toward Americans but rather they do resent some of the policies the US has towards the US.

"Many Muslims see the U.S. supporting democracy in their countries, and many of those who are optimists about the prospects for democracy in the Middle East give at least some credit to U.S. policies." There are some people who see that America has does some postive things around the world such as pushing for democracy. Nevertheless with two debacle wars there seems that there isn;t much optimism in America.

Source:http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/330.php

Source: http://pewglobal.org/2005/06/23/us-image-up-slightly-but-still-negative/

What is the view most Americans have towards the Middle East?

"When Americans are asked about Muslim countries as a whole, their views are fairly neutral. But when asked about some specific countries, such as Iran or Saudi Arabia, majorities of Americans have unfavorable views."Thus Americans do not seem to have a general view of the many Middle Eastern countries. The view they have towards the middle east is usually developed by the media and politicians. For example, the media portrayed Iraq has possessing weapons of mass destruction which may caused paranoia of Iraq. "In closing, by pointing to these many convergences in American and Muslim thinking, I don’t mean to downplay the difficulty of the present conflicts. These are indeed difficult." The worldpublicopinion.com says indeed there are many similarities in thinking between the Americans and the Middle Eastern. Both people want change and stability in the world.

Source:http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/330.php

How does American Policy towards the Middle East affect the entire World?

The Middle East is a strategic location where three continents meet. Not only that, but the Middle East is the worlds’ largest exporter of oil which is vital to the world economy. Thus nations around the world are greatly affected by the situations concerning the Middle East. For example, whenever, there is a crisis in the Middle East that hurts oil transportation then the oil price throughout the world increases. This case can be seen during the Persian Gulf War where due to the war, oil price throughout the world skyrocketed. Also one can see that the Islamists heinous acts around the world are influenced by the situations in their countries. Moreover, the Middle East has significant cultural importance to people, where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam originated. Middle East is a location that holds economic, political, and cultural significance to the world.

In what area of the Middle East is most controversy surrounded with American policy?

There has always been controversy surrounding American policy towards the Middle East. Some of the controversy surrounding America in the Middle East are its’ support of Israel, the Iraq War, and War on Afghanistan. American support of Israel is seen to be the destabilizing factor in the Middle East which can be seem as the cause of the recent wars.
Israel is America’s top ally in the Middle East. Many of its’ military weaponry is provided by the US. Prof. Jensen is quoted from Baltimorechronicle.com: "United States puts up with defiance from Israel that it wouldn't tolerate from other client states, but we should remember that U.S. policymakers don't make decisions based on humanitarian grounds. They want to extend and deepen, or at least maintain U.S. power, and those policymakers believe Israel is useful in that regard."
Some of the biased policy America has in dealing with the Middle East is allowing Israel to acquire nuclear weaponry while being a harsh critic of similar development in other Middle Eastern countries. I believe this biased American policy has lead to the Islamist Movement, which sees Israel as undermining the rights of Palestinians.The entire instability currently in the Middle East, comes form nuclear proliferation and radical islamisism which ultimately derives from the resentment of the Israel-US relationship.

Special Edition: Aung San Su Ki is Free !!!!!

Aung San Su Ki who has been a driving force of democracy in the 21st century has been released from house arrest after 15 years. She was put into house arrest by the autocratic military junta of Myanmar who saw her as a threat to the regime. Her words from BBC.com after her release were "There is a time to be quiet and a time to talk," she added. "People must work in unison. Only then can we achieve our goal." As you can see, Myanmar and the rest of the world must work in unison to bring about the changes required to benefit society at large.

Aung San Suu Kyi Timeline

* Born 1945, daughter of Burma's independence hero, General Aung San, assassinated in 1947
* 1960: Leaves Burma and is later educated at Oxford University
* 1988: Returns to care for sick mother and is caught up in revolt against then-dictator Ne Win
* 1989: Put under house arrest as Burma junta declares martial law
* 1990: NLD wins election; military disregards result
* 1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize
* 1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted
* 2000: Near continuous period of house arrest begins
* Sept 2007: First public appearance since 2003, greeting protesting Buddhist monks
* November 2010: NLD boycotts first election in 20 years and is disbanded; House arrest ends


Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11749661

How has America been involved in the Middle East?

America like other superpowers have tried to influence and gain power in different regions and countries. America since it's caution involvement in world war 1 has been tremendously influential in shaping the world. The particular region where America seems to be greatly involved in the 21st century is the Middle East. There are several reasons ways America has been involved in Middle Eastern affairs.
Global Connections says "American economic interests -- particularly in assuring access to Middle Eastern oil -- have long motivated presidents and lawmakers to intervene in the region."

Some American involvement in the Middle East are:

1) Involvement in the battle against Islamic radicals across the Middle East
2) Participating in 3 wars over the last couple of decades
Gulf War:Deals with Saddam Hussein threatening oil supply in Kuwait, after invading Kuwait.
Afghanistan War:War against Islamic radical across Afghanistan
Iraq War:Threat of Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction.
3) Playing a major roles in internal wars that occurred in the Middle East such as the Iran-Iraq War. Providing military and monetary support to Middle Eastern nations.
4) Strong economic relationship with oil rich countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Source:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/uspolicy/index.html

What are some of the problems that are occuring in the Middle East at this time?

Middle East for centuries has been plagued by violence and upheaval. This region continuously has been the crossroad of different societies and empires. It connects three continents Africa, Asia, Europe. As you can see, the Middle East is an highly prized area due to is strategic location.

"Given the vast energy resources that form the backbone of western economies, influence and involvement in the Middle East has been of paramount importance for the former and current imperial and super powers, including France, Britain, USA and the former Soviet Union." The constant battle to control these areas has lead to both internal and external tensions in these areas.

Some of the tensions or problems that are still plaguing the Middle East are:

1) The Arab-Israeli Conflict
2) Radical Islamic Insurgency
3) Afghanistan War
4) Iraq War
5) Nuclear Proliferation

Source:http://www.globalissues.org/issue/103/middle-east

What region is classified as the Middle East?

The Middle East is somewhat a vague term. It overlaps between nations and regions. Geographically speaking the Middle East is the region between Asia and Africa and just below the Caucasus. Yet this region is also known by other geographic names such as Near-East or Western Asia which can lead to confusion. In fact what I believe can effectively be used to describe this region is mainly more socio-political then geographic. The nations that are classified as Middle Eastern nations seem to have similar culture and political systems. The nations that can be called Middle Eastern nations can vary from Egypt to Pakistan to even including Turkey.

Source: Wikipedia.com

Important Questions to Ask

1) What region is classified as the Middle East?
2) What are some of the problems that are occurring in the Middle East at this time?
3) How has America been involved in the Middle East?
4) In what area of the Middle East is most controversy surrounded with American policy?
5) How does American Policy towards the Middle East affect the entire World?
6) Does American policy actually play a role in the Middle East?
7) What is the view most Americans have towards the Middle East?
8) What is the view most Middle Eastern people have towards America?
9) How can the problems in the Middle East be fixed?
10) If American policy is biased towards the Middle East, should it be like that? If not how can it be fixed. Why is it biased?

General U.S policy in Dealing with the Middle East

The United States seems to be the savior of all nations, they are not only impartial in domestic affairs, but also in international affairs. However, is the United States actaully fair in it's policy or is it baised in dealing with some areas. American Middle Eastern policy seems to be the area where most tumult arises. Some believe America is fair, while others argue American policy is influenced by resources. If one studies and analyzes American policies towards the middle east peice by peice, one can evaluate this arugument more clearly.

Special Edition:People Who Made a Difference

Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing leader who helped shape the world today.

Due to his effort today we are able to have a desegregated and more tolerant society, especially here in the US. Through his effort America is able to fluorish with it's rich multicultural society.