When oil was first discovered beneath the scorching desert sands, did the Arab sheikhs realise that this ‘liquid gold’ would turn out to be not a blessing, but a perpetual curse? History bears witness that the Middle East is no isolated territory; rather, for the past century, it has been a chessboard of global geopolitics where the moves are dictated from the White House or the Pentagon. How the United States took the Middle East into its grip, or simply put, ‘stole’ it, is no accidental phenomenon. It was a highly orchestrated, gradual, and at times, a brutally cruel chapter.
The formal prelude to the United States’ entry into the Middle East began on February 14, 1945. A secret meeting took place between US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal. It was there that the course of future history was determined. America’s message was unequivocal: “You guarantee us an uninterrupted supply of oil, and we will guarantee the security of your royal family.”
Through this single pact, the first major collapse of Middle Eastern sovereignty occurred. America did not merely come to buy oil; they came to control its source. As British and French powers retreated, Washington aggressively stepped into the resulting vacuum.
If we ask who was the first victim of America’s politics of ‘regime change’, the answer points to Iran of 1953. Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh was the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. His ‘crime’ was attempting to nationalise Iran’s oil wealth, a move that struck directly at the interests of British and American oil conglomerates.
Through ‘Operation Ajax’, orchestrated by the CIA and British intelligence, Mosaddegh was overthrown, and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was installed with absolute power. This was America’s first direct slap in the face of the popular will of the Middle Eastern people. The democratic future of a nation was stolen, replaced by an obedient autocrat, solely to ensure an uninterrupted flow of oil.
In the 1970s, America played a masterstroke, known in history as the ‘petrodollar’ system. In 1971, Richard Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard. To maintain the dollar’s value, a historic understanding was reached with Saudi Arabia in 1974. According to the agreement, OPEC nations would sell oil exclusively in US dollars. In return, the US would provide them with military protection.
Consequently, the entire world effectively became enslaved to the dollar. Any nation wishing to purchase oil had to acquire dollars first. By weaponising Middle Eastern oil, America essentially pocketed the global economy. It was the most ingenious strategy to ‘hijack’ a region’s economy without occupying an inch of its land.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq remains the most naked manifestation of US imperialism. Based on the blatant lie that Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), a fabricated war was imposed. No WMDs were ever found, but what was secured was the control over Iraq’s vast oil fields. This war did not merely topple a regime; it destabilised the entire region. By reducing Iraq to rubble, US contracting firms siphoned off billions of dollars in the name of reconstruction. This 21st-century edition of plundering Middle Eastern wealth was staggeringly shameless.
The greatest shield of US hegemony in the Middle East is Israel. America’s unhesitating support for the creation of the State of Israel in the post-WWII era was not merely driven by moral obligations. From a strategic viewpoint, Israel serves as America’s permanent military base – an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ in the heart of the Arab world. Using Israel to project fear among Arab nations and keeping them perpetually reliant on America has always been the core objective. Leaving the Palestinian crisis unresolved is politically profitable for the US, as it justifies lucrative arms trades and legitimises its military footprint in the region.
America governs the Middle East through a classic policy of ‘divide and rule’. By fanning the flames of Shia-Sunni sectarian conflicts or the Iran-Saudi rivalry, they facilitate billion-dollar arms sales. Whenever any regional power has attempted to rear its head, alliances have been forged to suppress it. From the war in Yemen to the civil war in Syria – everywhere, the clatter of US weaponry rings out behind the scenes.
In today’s context, rather than sending troops to occupy lands, America places greater faith in the politics of ‘soft power’ and economic sanctions. We have seen Iran being crippled by decades of embargoes, ensuring they cannot emerge as a dominant regional power.
However, the tides are turning. China has now emerged as a major player in the Middle East. The recent Beijing-brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran was a resounding slap in Washington’s face. America is beginning to realise that the risk of losing its monopoly over oil is escalating. Consequently, they are now attempting to unite Israel and the Arab states through pacts like the ‘Abraham Accords’, striving to keep their regional control afloat, at least politically.
What has America truly stolen from the Middle East? Just oil? No. They have stolen the stability of an entire region, claimed the lives of millions, and shattered the dreams of multiple generations. While preaching the gospel of democracy, they have consistently nurtured dictators, provided those autocrats safeguarded American interests.
This dissection of history teaches us a profound lesson: when a nation steps in under the guise of providing ‘security’ to another, what it strips away is that nation’s right to write its own future.
The sands of the Middle East are still scorching, but that heat no longer emanates merely from oil; it radiates from long accumulated, simmering rage. Only time will tell when this invisible empire falls, but in the pages of history, this chapter of America’s grand ‘theft’ will forever be etched in black.
The writer is a Volunteer, UNICEF Bangladesh. Email: [email protected]
