United States-Israeli Relations: The Impact on U.S. National Interests.

摘要

This thesis assesses the effect of the United States relationship with Israel on U.S. foreign policy objectives in the Middle East. I conduct an analysis of U.S. interests and relations in the Middle East, separate from considerations of domestic politics, to determine whether U.S. foreign policies in fact further national interests. I analyze three U.S. national interests in the Middle East: (1) nonproliferation of WMD, (2) spreading democracy, and (3) combating terrorism respective to Iran, Syria, and Egypt to conclude whether the national interest is positively, negatively, or negligibly affected by the U.S. Israeli relationship. While the thesis highlights possible interests and areas where U.S. national interests are not well-served by the U.S. Israeli relationship, the thesis does not conclude that the U.S. should withdraw support of Israel. It is in U.S. interests to support the existence of its allies. However, the thesis does conclude that greater objective debate should take place to assess the U.S. Israeli relationship with respect to other U.S. national interests in the Middle East to ensure U.S. national security is best served by current policies.