American foreign and domestic policy are often tied to two primary issues of this turbulent region: religion and oil. Religious ties have focused on the status of Israel (and Palestine) as a Holy Land for Christianity, Judaism and Islam, with special questions about Jerusalem. Since the birth of Israel as a state, the US has often acted as a guarantor of its sovereignty through military aid and diplomatic support. While this affiliation has rested on various ideological foundations, it also incorporates strong linkages between Jews in the United States and the Zionist commitment to Israel. This does not imply a monolithic Jewish lobby: there have been both tremendous economic, spiritual and political support for Israel among American Jews and severe criticism. Yet it means that issues of Israel must be addressed in local politics, especially in areas like New York City, NY.

Christian attitudes range from those who regard Jerusalem, Bethlehem and other centers as holy monuments divorced from their local/political history to those who would hasten the Apocalypse there. Some Arab Americans also see this area as both religious center and homeland, especially in the case of Americans of Palestinian descent, Christians and Muslims.

These linkages have led to intense American involvement in fostering regional peace with guarantees for Israel’s security American involvement in Lebanon grew out of these ongoing conflicts, while Presidents Carter and Clinton have hosted lengthy summits at Camp David in search of peace.

At the same time, the Middle East holds oil, often in Arab states towards which the US once adopted neo-colonial relationships. Here, alliance with Israel has been read as opposition to Arab claims. Ongoing difficulties with Iran, Iraq and Libya, as well as complex alliances with the conservative Islamic regimes of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, have complicated American foreign policy while ensuring—even by war—the supply of relatively cheap fuel. The Gulf War underscored the complexity of power and dependency that binds the US to the past and future of this region.