MAR 2020: U.S. MILITARY in the MIDDLE-EAST
Current Research for Public Forum Debate Class…
TOPIC: U.S. Military Presence (in the Persian Gulf)
Resolved: The United States should remove nearly all of its military presence in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
Shared Folder: PF \”Shared\” Folder [2020-04-01] = Middle-East.
BACKGROUND:
U.S. [Military] Presence and the Incidence of Conflict (Study: Rand Corporation, 2018):
There is an ongoing debate about the effect of U.S. presence on conflict around the globe. In one view, U.S. forward presence is stabilizing. It helps to deter adversaries, restrain U.S. partners from adopting provocative policies, and make it easier for the United States to achieve its aims without the use of force. Proponents of this view advocate maintaining and expanding U.S. presence abroad. Another view holds that U.S. forward presence makes conflict more likely. It tends to provoke adversaries and encourage allies to adopt more reckless policies, and it makes the use of force by the United States more likely. Proponents of this view advocate a strategy of restraint or offshore balancing, arguing that forward troop presence and the number of bases should be reduced and that the United States should shift toward naval forces, long-range strike capabilities, and ground forces based in the homeland to defend U.S. interests. Questions about how forward U.S. presence affects the likelihood of conflict also underlie strategy debates about the U.S. pivot to Asia, changes to NATO posture in Europe, and a larger U.S. presence in the Middle East as part of the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Debates about strategy and the unintended effects that a larger U.S. presence may have on interstate and intrastate conflict often go hand in hand with debates about the costs of overseas installations to enable U.S. troop presence, and the extent to which host nations support U.S. presence.
US Military Presence in the Middle East Is Unnecessary and Counterproductive ( The Middle East, 2012):
He States… The U.S. military presence in the Middle East has represented one of the leading sources of radicalization and terrorism directed against the United States. Yet, protecting U.S. interests in the region does not require an obtrusive U.S. military footprint characterized by sprawling bases occupied by large numbers of permanently stationed ground troops. In fact, a large U.S. military presence in the region is unnecessary and often counterproductive. If policymakers ignore the role of the U.S. military presence in the radicalization process and fail to assess the actual necessity of a large U.S. military presence, the United States will find itself in a needless predicament, not unlike the Herculean struggle against the mythological hydra. For every Abu Musab al-Zarqawi [an al Qaeda leader in Iraq] that the United States kills, the continuing sources of radicalization will generate a virtually limitless pool of replacements…
Note: Major Bradley L. Bowman is a strategic planner and a policy officer in the United States Army. \”The Middle East\” is an academic journal, which published his article in 2012. Generally, U.S. policy has not changed much since 2012. his article was written by a \”top\” expert in U.S. Middle East Policies.
REQUIRED RESEARCH VIDEOS:
United States bulks up military presence during heightened tensions with Iran,
CNN, June 24, 2019 [2 min]
https://wtkr.com/2019/06/24/united-states-bulks-up-military-presence-during-heightened-tensions-with-iran/
U.S. to deploy 3,500 additional troops to the Middle East after Iranian general killed,
CNBC News, January 3, 2020 [2 min]
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/03/us-to-deploy-more-troops-to-the-middle-east-after-iranian-gen-soleimani-killed.html
NOTE: Please read the \”key points\” and skim the rest of the article for any additional facts!
U.S. to send 3,000 troops to the Middle East after embassy attack, Soleimani killing,
NBC News, January 3, 2020 [2 min]
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/u-s-sending-thousands-more-troops-mideast-after-baghdad-attack-n1110081
Iran is surrounded by US military bases and facilities. Here\’s a snapshot
ABC News, January 10, 2020 [Animated Infographic]
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-10/guide-to-us-bases-surrounding-iran-in-the-middle-east/11855542
NOTE: Please read the \”key points\” and skim for those (and possibly other) facts; especially the last paragraph!
Where are the U.S. Troops Near Iran? Tens of Thousands of American Soldiers are in the Middle East, Afghanistan,
Newsweek, January 6, 2020 [2 min]
https://www.newsweek.com/where-us-troops-near-iran-1480617
NOTE: Please watch the related video, scroll to read the infographic, and then read the article until \”Afghanistan\” (Optional: skim the rest).
REQUIRED RESEARCH ARTICLES:
US Military Presence in the Middle East Is Unnecessary and Counterproductive,
Major Bradley L. Bowman, Professor, West Point, Strategic Planning & Policy for the U.S. Army, The Middle East, 2012.
https://www.vashonsd.org/cms/lib8/WA01919522/Centricity/Domain/120/USMilitaryMidEastNO.pdf
Note: Major Bradley L. Bowman, is a professor at West Point, and a military officer, involved in strategic planning & policy for the U.S. Army. \”The Middle East\” is an academic journal, which published his article in 2012. Generally, U.S. policy has not changed much since 2012. He is a \”top\” expert.
We Can End Our Endless Wars,
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, The Atlantic, January 27, 2020
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/elizabeth-warren-we-can-end-our-endless-wars/605497/
U.S. military scrambles to confront a new reality across the Middle East,
Washington Post, March 7, 2020
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-military-scrambles-to-confront-a-new-reality-across-the-middle-east/2020/03/07/939bfe5a-60a8-11ea-b014-4fafa866bb81_story.html
OPTIONAL RESEARCH ARTICLES/VIDEOS:
Understanding the Gulf States,
Simon Henderson, In Focus Quarterly, Spring 2014
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/understanding-the-gulf-states
U.S. [Military] Presence and the Incidence of Conflict,
Study: Rand Corporation, 2018
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1900/RR1906/RAND_RR1906.pdf
Big Ideas for NATO’s New Mission in Iraq,
Foreign Policy, March 6, 2020
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/06/iraq-islamic-state-military-nato-advisors/
Full Source Citation (Bowman Journal Article): Bowman, Bradley L. \”US Military Presence in the Middle East Is Unnecessary and Counterproductive.\” The Middle East. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rpt. from \”After Iraq: Future U.S. Military Posture in the Middle East.\” Washington Quarterly 31.2 (Spring 2008): 77-91. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 June 2016.
https://www.axios.com/where-us-troops-deployed-middle-east-5e96fdb2-c7ba-4f26-90b4-7bf452f83847.html
…
CONTACT INFORMATION (Coach Bill):
Bill Eddy,
coachbill@magnetacademy.com
714.655.8135 (I prefer text)
When contacting me, please include your name and class information (day/time). Thanks!