DIMINISHING INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

DIMINISHING INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

The diminishing influence of UK in matters of international security can be seen especially in the Middle East with the lack of propositional role in middle east peace process, the backlash of the controversial invasion of Iraq, lack of resources. According to John Baron MP, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Commons,  the UK has made a series of errors in the region starting from the Iraq war and ending with intervention in Libya and the ongoing campaign against ISIS. He stated that these failures are due to the dilution of skills in the political establishment in terms of Foreign Policy that has led  to lack of understanding of the region structures due to the budgets cuts and other factors making the FCO budget  half of the French Foreign Affairs ministry. Another official was critical of the UK foreign policy in the middle east. Last year, Baroness Warsi resigned from her role as Minister of State at FCO in protests for the UK position regarding the Israeli war on Gaza last summer. The divisive invasion of Iraq has made this government cautious regarding any external intervention. The intervention in Libya which appeared, at the time,  to be necessary to save lives of thousands of Libyans from their notorious dictator; this intervention was followed by the country turned into chaos in the absence of any viable plan for the transitional period. This confirms John Barons Statement that lack of understanding of the region leads to failure of engagement in the region. The parliament opposed intervention in Syria while it supported a low key role in Iraq's war against ISIS. However, the UK remains a major economic partner to the Gulf states, and continues to exert some influence there. Although the Gulf states are perceived as cash cows for the British economy, they are still far from it. Only the United Arab Emirates appears in the list of the top 20 destinations of British exports


IS THERE A ROAD TO PEACE?

The Islamic State (IS) phenomenon was a cumulative outcome of several catalysts involving all actors within the region. The tally of deaths amongst Iraqis in the last two decades starting from the containment policy of Bill Clinton to the invasion of 2003 contributed vastly to the rise of extremism in the country. The failure of the Arab Spring and democratic transitions in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Yemen for different reasons has contributed to spreading despair and extremism within the region.

The spread of extremist Islamic literature in the region has further encouraged fanatic discourse. The Middle East and North Africa Region has one of the most fragile political, social, economic and environmental structures, with a lack of people centred development policies and high  unemployment.

The Shi’a - Sunni war led by Iran and the Arab States in the region in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen has led to the whole region to become a volatile battleground for the two sects. The failure of the Middle East Peace process negotiations last year and the rejection of the Israeli Prime Minister to address the potential creation of a Palestinian State has definitely weakened the pro-peace and negotiations voices within the Arab world and strengthened the pro-violence and retaliation voices.