1. US Interest in the Middle East

2. WHY IS THE US INVOLVED IN THE MIDDLE EAST? LEQ …

3. LET’S LOOK AT A FEW REASONS! Why do YOU think the US is involved the Middle East?

4. War on terrorism Anti-Americanism Breeding ground for terrorists  Remember the terrorists groups …  Hamas  Al Qaeda

5. Think about … who is the US’ ally in the Middle East? ISRAEL

6. Israel US strong supporter of Israel Free trade agreement – 1985 US is Israel’s largest trade partner One of largest recipient of US foreign aid

7. What commodity does the Middle East have that the US is totally dependant upon?

8. Oil … let’s review what we learned yesterday! Middle East - 60% of world’s known oil reserves US – world’s largest single consumer of oil

9. Oil Reserves - Top 20 Nations

10. Oil Reserves

11. Oil Reserves by Countries in the Middle East

12. Based on all the previous graphs, why is it important for the US to keep friendly relationships with the Middle Eastern countries?

13. Think about what is going on in Syria today. What weapon was used against Syrians? Weapons of mass destruction

14. Preventing spread of WMD Preventing spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons Iraq, Iran, Libya, and now Syria - either have them OR have tried to develop them OR have used them! Iraq used chemical weapons against Kurds – 1988 and against Iran in 1980’s As part of requirements of end of Persian Gulf War, Iraq was to be open to inspections by UN – however, made this very difficult Convinced Iraq possessed these, US and Britain went to war with Iraq in 2003

15. Ponder the following … IF an oppressed people were to gain knowledge through education, how might that impact a country?

16. Human Rights / Justice Issues Promoting freedom and democracy US feels that lack of freedom in ME key factor in contributing to terrorism Promotes education, rights for women, economic development

17. To sum up …5 reasons War on terrorism Israel Oil The spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) Human rights (Humanitarianism)

18. WHICH OF THE 5 REASONS GIVEN DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR THE US TO BE INVOLVED IN THE MIDDLE EAST? Ticket out the door …