Middle East: Smuggling, Oil, Sky, and Power (Part III)

Following World War II, the United States emerged as a dominant global power, significantly shaping the region then termed the Middle East. Under the banner of modernity, the U.S. actively worked against nationalist movements while forging strategic alliances with Persian Gulf monarchies, which remain central to international oil production.

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First, the U.S. established an alliance after World War II with the countries of the area, especially after the aggression of Great Britain, France, and Israel against Egypt, because it nationalizes the Suez Canal and, from there, a plan is created to control communism, with military organization included.

The 1990s marked the end of the "Real Socialism" in Eastern Europe and a significant weakening of national liberation movements across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In the Middle East, this period saw the U.S. pivot its strategy. After the 9/11 attacks, the discourse of human rights and the fight against terrorism provided justification for prolonged military interventions.

However, the region faced aggression even in the 1990s. The U.S. initially established alliances after WWII, particularly after Britain, France, and Israel attacked Egypt when it nationalized the Suez Canal. This led to a plan to contain communism, including military organization. While Gamal Abdel Nasser spoke of Islamic socialism, the primary forces were nationalist movements, with Egypt's being the most radical.

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Although Gamal Abdel Nasser spoke of Islamic socialism, what actually happened were nationalist processes; Egypt's was the most radical, but socialism did not have the strength it had in Asia.

During that era, the U.S. lacked a substantial military presence but maintained alliances ensuring relative stability for oil benefits. This changed with the fall of the socialist bloc, leaving the U.S. without a clear adversary. The invasion of Panama in December 1989 signaled a new assertiveness. Theoretical constructs like the "clash of civilizations" emerged, framing the "Islamic" individual as a potential terrorist.

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The United States was left without a war. Never forget that the first military action it carried out after that was the invasion of Panama, on December 20, 1989, marking its territory.

The article also touches upon Iran, noting that the U.S. permitted Iraq to attack Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a conflict that lasted from 1980 to 1988. This period, characterized by unipolarity and the supposed "end of history," also saw an "intersystemic transition" and the creation of a cultural enemy, exemplified by the image of an armed Islamic individual depicted as a terrorist.

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It is the image that later gives us the Islamic person with the backpack who, they say, is a terrorist.