Great sacrifices, small rewards
Has America’s obsession with this region been worth it?
THE Middle East holds a giant chunk of the world's energy reserves, and also generates its biggest political headaches. Small wonder that the United States has long had an outsize interest in the place. Since September 11th 2001, and the rise of radical Islam as the sole violent challenge to an American-shaped international order, America's focus on the region between the Nile and the Indus rivers has been obsessive. Yet all the attention would seem to have been in vain. America's influence has dwindled everywhere with the financial crisis and the rise of emerging powers. But it seems to be withering faster in the Middle East than anywhere else.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline "Great sacrifices, small rewards"
From the January 1st 2011 edition
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