US foreign policy has been circling over Islam and Muslims for more than half a century. There had been the hostility of communism on the basis of this policy in the period from the Second World War to the fall of the Soviet Union. The United States which declared Jihad against communism, supported the political and radical Islamic movements in the Islamic world and improved them.
Several Islamic groups that allied with the US for years, turned against her one by one after the Soviet Union’s collapse. Many groups from Jamiat Islami and Hezbi Islami in Afghanistan to the Muslim Brotherhood in North Africa and the Middle East, become the threat for the United States. After the 2000s, US foreign policy was based entirely on the basis of fighting against Radical Islam. This battle that was even described as holly crusade by President Bush, has defined as the liberation and the war on Terror in Obama era.
No matter however this war is named or described by the United States, the US hostility has increased steadily among Muslims. Muslim communities began to believe that the United States has been fighting only for its own interests, not for the holy and universal values. This situation has further enlarged the base of radical Islamic groups. Tensions and conflicts have increased everywhere that the United States went to peace and stability. Regional alliances and wars have fueled the need for arming of Islamic countries and their arms race.
It is still unclear the aim and future of The Greater Middle East and the Arab Spring Projects which are announced by the United States.
After all of this, Obama’s Syria Policy and cooperation with Russia has created a huge disappointment, especially in the Sunni Muslim community. When the Sunni Oppositions which reached to the overthrow of Assad regime, were left alone, the political bases of Nusra Front and Ahrar AsSham expanded.
Now there is no any Pro-American Sunni Islamist Movement, not only in Syria, but also in the Middle East and all over Islamic world. Even historical US ally Saudi Arabia said that the old friendship and trust remained in past.
Turkey & United States relations –that is not our subject now- is literally deplorable. Maybe it needs to focus about this subject that also NATO turns a blind eye to its one Muslim ally’s concerns and objections. This insensitivity will form the basis for discussion of the alliance in the coming years.
In short, the United States Foreign Policy expands the current problems, instead of solving them. It makes matters worse while trying to fight against terrorism.
There are many questions circulating in everyone’s mind:
- Was Iran implacable enemy for Israel in the Middle East? Now Is Iran which is ignored its political and military presence in Syria, political neighbor with Israel after then Hezbollah?
- Will say the United States which has been trying to prevent the Russian desire to gain access to the warm waters, that “Please go back your home!” to Putin?
- While the United States is creating a safe zone for the Kurds, how will the pain and hatred of Sunni Arabs be stopped in the region?
- Was the Taliban in Afghanistan removed? Will the Syrian Opposition Groups be lost in a day in the Middle East?
- While the current alleviation policies are further improving the participation to the fighting groups, how will the peace come to region?
- Or is US foreign policy, a part of a big lie?
After the collapse the Soviet Union, the United States could not provide a permanent peace in a Muslim region except for Kosovo. Ethic rules of NATO had played an important role in Kosovo and the shared interests had safeguarded.
As long as the United States just thought its own interests, the same failure will continue and be fueled radicalism again!