US imperialist, interventionist policies blamed for Mideast turmoil as US-Iran standoff escalates

ISTANBUL - Amid the spiraling tensions in the Gulf caused by the US sanctions and sabre-rattling against Iran, many Turkish analysts and citizens said the US imperialist and interventionist policies are largely blamed for the turmoil and instability in the Middle East region.

The recent steps taken by the US government under President Donald Trump against Iran have raised the specter of another conflict in the highly volatile region. Such steps included the continued US military buildup and the restoration of crippling sanctions on Iran, which led to a military standoff in the Gulf.

Citing an Iranian threat, Washington just decided to send 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, in addition to the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group, bombers and anti-missile systems.

"In my opinion, you cannot explain anything in this region without using the term 'imperialism.' When I say imperialism, of course, we should understand (it's) the US imperialism," Baris Doster, a Turkish academic and columnist, told Xinhua in an interview.

The United States keeps destabilizing the Middle East out of some needs and important benefits, which include satisfying the security needs of Israel as well as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations, securing energy resources, isolating Iran, creating a Kurdish state, as well as curbing China, Russia and other emerging powers, Doster pointed out.

Doster noted that Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria are still reeling from the invasions and interference by the United States and its allies, which have left hundreds of thousands of civilians killed and many more displaced or fleeing to Europe and neighboring states.

Despite the rising tensions, Doster did not foresee a US military attack on Iran, as the Islamic republic has "strong" diplomacy, army, economy and nation.

"So you cannot compare Iran with Iraq, or with Syria, or with Afghanistan," the Turkish academic explained.

He suggested Turkey and other countries, which have been under pressure from the "US imperialism," continue to import Iranian oil despite the US total ban, citing that if these countries "can get together and behave," they could stop the US adventurism in this region.

Commenting on the US plan to roll out so-called "Deal of the Century" to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Doster is not optimistic about the US peacemaking endeavor.

"Because Israel has been supported by the US, and I do not think the US, as an imperialist country and as a country which is not from this region, can create peace and stability in this region," he noted.

"If peace comes here ... it will not come in the hands of the US," he added.

Doster predicted that peace would not return to the Middle East region in the next decade mainly because of the competition for the control of its energy resources, which is complicated by the ethnic and sectarian conflicts as old as decades.

The United States has also been using sanctions as a tool to arm-twist Turkey to kowtow to Washington in economic and political fields.

In order to pressure Turkey to free a detained US pastor last year and cancel the purchase of Russia-made S-400 air defense systems, the Trump administration hiked tariffs on Turkish steel and other products, while threatening to stop delivery of the advanced F-35 fighters.

The US sanctions and threats are largely blamed for the deterioration of the Turkish economy, which has witnessed the sharp depreciation of its currency since last year.

Selva Tor, a Turkish political analyst, deplored that the Trump administration still sticks to the "already decayed policies" which had long been proved unsustainable, despite the changes since the 2008 global financial crisis and emerging economies' challenges to the decisive role of the US dollar, the keystone of US hegemony.

But since it will take longer time for this decaying American primacy to decay further, Washington is expected to bring more conflict and turmoil not only to the Middle East, but also to other vulnerable regions, Tor said.

"Yet, it is highly costly for such a mighty military machine like the Unites States to hold onto an already decaying global hegemonic role by force," the analyst said.

"If the world system will change its core fundamentals like monetary and trade regimes, we may have the possibility to bring peace and prosperity to conflict-prone regions like the Middle East," she added.

For common Turkish citizens, the US bullying policies and actions are also seen as a major source of regional turmoil and instability in the Middle East.

"The US takes a large share of (the responsibility for) the chaos in the Middle East. It's the biggest," said Ugur Yorga, a Turk in his early 20s, when asked to comment on the rising tensions in the region.

Murat Basci, a retired Turkish man, said the US policies have shown that Washington is acting like "a spoiled child" with its reckless intervention in the affairs in the Middle East and elsewhere.

"It's America's business to spoil everything," Basci said. "It sells weapons. It is controlling the oil, and so on."