Influences and constraints on American alliance politics: The case United States alliances in the Middle East

This dissertation examines the formation, implementation, and repercussions of American alliances in the Middle East. The cases studied are Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. The hypothesis is that as strategic issues (political, economic, and military) become the focal point of the alliance, there is a decrease in American influence over the regional ally. This results from the alliance's perceived value as a strategic asset by American policy makers, as well as the growth of American domestic political and economic interests around the alliance. The dissertation supports the validity of the political science literature on alliances which argues that alliances can be detrimental to the foreign policy goals of large powers as their smaller allies are able to manipulate them.;The Iranian case focuses on the period in which Iran became a primary American ally in the third world, during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter Administrations, 1968-1978. The Israeli case focuses on the establishment of the strategic relationship during the Johnson Presidency and its subsequent development through the Reagan Administration, 1963-1988. The Saudi case emphasizes the period when Riyadh progressed from being the junior partner of the US twin pillar policy in the region to subsequently replacing Iran as one of America's primary allies in the Middle East, 1975-1988.;This dissertation supports the validity of the theories of alliances that emphasize the costs incurred by the larger power in these relationships due to the growth of reverse leverage by the smaller power. In accomplishing this the dissertation also more clearly defines the correlation between the strategic and domestic interests that govern American policy in the Middle East. The conclusion is that these relationships generally became dominated by domestic political considerations and interest groups. This resulted in America continuing to maintain alliance commitments despite changing strategic conditions.