How important to America is Middle East peace?

The question is prompted by ad infinitum peace initiatives and peace conferences over decades, to include the one coming up in November. The question is also prompted by what looks like a near miss war between Syria and Israel. The lack of facts still leads mostly to speculation about the Israeli action and intent in early September, but the American question still remains. How important to America is Middle East peace? Is it in our vital national interest?

Maybe many of us have missed something, but it seems like I have not heard the question asked, nor explained (maybe explained again). And this author was born in 1948, and is a reader and news junkie.

Of course the explainers should be our executive and congressional leaders. That we have not heard any explanation suggests it is time to vote in new leaders who will take the time to explain all this to us. Maybe they just assume it is so because it has been so. I hope our country is better than that.

If the Syrians and Israelis had gone to war, probably started by the Syrians using missiles with both persistent and non-persistent chemical weapons (area weapons at best), and with their objective of the Golan area, what would we have done? What would other regional players have done? Since nobody knows, the issue of American vital national interests kicks in. What is important to America in the Middle East?

This author for one thinks peace in the Middle East is in our vital national interest. The interest is in tamping down these historically implacable enemies so as to prevent a world war, which we do not want to have happen. But that is just one opinion. Until our national leaders can explain a national policy about our Middle East interests that is supported by a majority of Americans, we continue on to a train wreck of political confusion, political infighting, and division.

Institutionally, some of us are taught never to critique unless one can also offer possible solutions, ideally three alternatives for our leaders. Here’s an example.
· Have a debate in Congress that guides our Middle East policy in the future.
· Let a small select group of executive and congressional people decide the USA’s paths in the Middle East
· Hope for the best, see what happens, and react then.