WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES’ ENERGY POLICY AND ITS FOREIGN POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
NANCY ATIEMO msnance69@yahoo.com ABSTRACT: Since the 1930s there have been complex links between the US and the Middle East. While general investment cultural ties can be identified, it is widely argued that the US’s overriding interest in the region is to secure cheap and reliable energy sources. The International Relations theory of Neo-realism argues that states seek power as a means of ensuring survival. It also does not discount unilateralism or ‘self-help’ in foreign affairs. Energy security is vital to the overall survival of the US, and certain developments and conflicts in the international arena lend support to neo-realist theories. This paper will attempt to go beyond the illustration of theoretical application by speculating that the current US ideology may not be sustainable in the future in the light of escalating resistance in the Arab world to US intervention.
