What interest does the United States have in securing peace in the Middle East? How has soft power been used in the U.S. foreign policy approach to the Middle East?
Provide an example. What issue in Iran has complicated the situation in recent years? What soft power approaches have been used with Iran, and how successful have they been?
Answer:
An ideal response will:
1. Note that the United States has had a long history of working to secure peace in the Middle East, particularly between Israel and its neighbors, partly because the Middle East is an important source of the world's oil and partly because Israel is an ally.
2. Provide an example of how soft power has been used in the Middle East, such as through foreign aid given to countries like Israel and Egypt that are important to national security or through diplomacy like the agreement called "The Road Map to Peace" that was signed by the United States, Israel, and most Arab nations.
3. Explain that Iran has complicated the situation in recent years with its development of weapons of mass destruction, such as biological weapons that spread disease or poisons, although its development of nuclear weapons has become the primary concern.
4. Discuss how the United States has used both economic sanctions and public diplomacy, through which it has tried to convince the people of Iran that its leader is moving the nation toward war, but as of 2014 neither approach had been very successful.
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