American Middle East Foreign Policy:1973

American Middle East Foreign Policy 1973: Its Success and Its Effects


On October 6th, 1973 Egypt and Syria invaded Israel, using Soviet weaponry, crushing the Israeli military. The Yom Kippur War as it was later named, proved to be a major test for the United States’ Middle East foreign policy. This conflict did not only test the effectiveness of American foreign policy, but America’s commitment to fulfilling the policy. During the time period before and during the conflict, American interests in the Middle East differed from its’ official foreign policy. These interests included: maintaining a consistent supply of oil from mid-east countries, containing Soviet influence in the region, and Israel’s security as a sovereign nation. However these interests differed from the United States’ foreign policy, that is summarized as: developing relations with moderate Arab states, maintaining stability in the region by protecting Israel, and exercising certain moral principle...