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Policy Report

American Foreign Policy: Making History

Critical Thinking-
1. U.S interests that are at stake in the Iraq conflict include: Oil, Economy, Military, and National Security. All 4 are tied together in that they all have something to do with money. The U.S spends billions of dollars to fund the war in Iraq and this is causing the country's debt to grow. The war has also left the U.S's ability to handle disasters on it's own soil very vulnerable. Hurricane Katrina is a great example. The U.S is also very dependant on foreign oil and the fact that the Middle East is an oil powerhouse makes the war in Iraq a fragile issue with the other Arab Nations.
2. United States relations with the Middle East and the Arab worlds are a mix of good and bad. In some parts of the Middle East the U.S. is viewed with hatred and large portions of the Arab world hold Anti-American views. However, the U.S has kept a strong alliance with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
3. In general the rebuilding effort put on by the U.S has been seen as an occupation rather than a helping hand to the Iraqi's. The U.S has been in Iraq for 5 years and there is little progress in the way of rebuilding. Most of the international community, including the Arab community, would like to see more progress made in a shorter amount of time.
4. The welfare of the Iraqi people should be important because it is ultimately the people of Iraq that determine how the war will end. The welfare of the Iraqi's is also important in determining the U.S's standing with the Iraqi government after the war. The U.S wants a good relationship with a Post-War Iraqi government in order to keep it's standing in the region. The only way the U.S has a shot at a good position is to make the welfare of the Iraqi people a top priority in U.S policies.
5. a) The War on Terror has been lead mainly by the U.S and the war in Iraq has a large effect on how that war is perceived. If the U.S shows other nation's that the U.S deals with any...