Post-Cold War U.S. Security Strategies for the Persian Gulf

Abstract : The end of the cold war and the disappearance of the threats the Soviet Union posed to the Persian Gulf have presented the United States with an opportunity to pursue a fundamentally different type of strategy in that region: a policy of friendly but more detached and contingent relations with the regional states, in distinction to the existing U.S. policy of close and enduring political, military, and personal ties with friendly regimes. The former can be termed 'insulating strategies,' because they are intended to distance the United States from the risks attendant to the endemic political instability of the region. The latter can be termed 'controlling strategies', because they focus on managing and subduing those risks. Whether the United States should avail itself of this opportunity is not clear. The purpose of this report is to assess the costs and benefits of doing so.