79-15-3
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Israel I[edit]
Transcript[edit]It seems to me the paramount American interest in the Middle East is to prevent the region from falling under the domination of the Soviet Union. Were Moscow, or even its radical allies in the region, allowed to establish dominance or acquire a stranglehold on the West's sources of petroleum, either at the wellhead or a various oil route chokepoints, the economies of the major industrial states would be jeopardized and the capacity of NATO and Japan to resist Soviet pressure would be dangerously impaired. Indeed, any American government which allowed oil supplies to its allies to be placed in question would almost certainly invite the neutralization of Western Europe and Japan, the encirclement of China, and--eventually--the isolation of our own country. The critical importance of the Middle East to American global interests should be obvious, and yet our nations policies continue the gradual erosion of our influence and power in the region. Today, the Soviet Union is capitalizing on its huge military buildup by raising the level of risk. The Soviet fleet has the run of the Mediterranean, free access to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf and is extending its global reach. This assertion of Soviet military power at both ends of the Middle East is evident in their string of bases and naval facilities in Iraq, Syria, South Yemen, Ethiopia and Libya. The armies of all these countries are largely dependent on Soviet equipment. The recent turmoil in Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey--all bordering upon the Soviet Union--is crucial to the balance of power between the Soviet Union and the West, and in each case chaos means a gain for the Kremlin. Meanwhile our record is one miscalculation regarding the extent of Soviet capabilities and Soviet interest in affecting or controlling the flow of oil from the Middle East, in base rights and in defense pacts. Swayed by "détente", our policymakers have yet to achieve a clear understanding of the Soviet role in the region. Moscow's objectives are part of a major effort to alter the global balance of power-in it's favor. The Iranian debacle is a recent example of the extent to which U.S. indecision and ignorance of the challenge in the region can obscure the true stakes. Continued instability provided important opportunities to the Soviets to expand their sphere of influence and to deny or control oil resources vital to the Western economies. Meanwhile those leaders in the area who have cast their fate with the United States now seriously question our political judgment and our ability and willingness to back our friends and to withstand to their survival. The Soviet Union--not the United States--is poised to fill the power void left "East of Suez" by the British. On the next broadcast I'll do Chapter two. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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