The Stake of Developed Countries Concerning Political Instability in North Africa Southwest Asia

The Stake of Developed Countries Concerning Political Instability in North Africa Southwest Asia. Political instability first appeared in North Africa and Southwest Asia in the 1940s. In the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the Iraq War of 2003, the flux was manifested in various ways. Peace in this area is essential for the global economy, so developed countries are sending military support. This is supported by the fact that, due to the increased development and invention of robust technologies, the world has become a small town, with events in one region affecting other regions across the globe. As the result, developed countries have been involved in the North Africa and Southwest Asia in many ways due to the role of oil production that the region has (Goudie, p. 329). This paper discusses the stake of the developed regions concerning the political unrest in the region of North Africa and Southwest Asia with regards to the economic, political and military matters.

To start with, there is some form of interdependence between the North Africa Southwest Asia and the developed countries. The main reason for this interdependence is the fact that most of the oil and petroleum products used across the world are produced by this region. Most of the countries in this region are members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC has a significant influence on the global affairs because most countries rely on their oil. For instance, in the 1970s OPEC raised the oil price and placed embargo (restriction of oil shipment to the United States). This affected trading activities in the United States and other developed countries. Also tourism plays a significant role in the economy of some countries in this region such as Turkey, Egypt and Israel. People from Western countries usually go to tour the region especially when there are no wars.

The other reason for economic involvement between the region and the developed countries is the geographical region of the area. The area is mostly arid and semi-arid with some little rainfall in a year. This condition does not favor agricultural activities and therefore most of the countries rely on supplies from other countries. Saudi Arabia and other countries which have major oil reserves are able to import food supply from outside (Shelley, p.390). However some countries with little oil supplies need some humanitarian aid to support the countries’ food supply. Most of the humanitarians who provide assistance to such countries are from developed countries. Other countries such as Israel and Egypt utilize the water from rivers and lakes to irrigate the land and pant agricultural produce which is taken for local supply and for trading with other western countries.

The political instability in the region has also resulted in some sort of political tension with the developed countries. For instance, Israel and Turkey are allies of the United States whereas Iran and Syria oppose the United States. The other political involvement of the United States in the region was in 2003 to 2012 in which United States was seeking an alleged terrorist-Saddam Hussein (Goudie, p. 330). Political havoc with developed countries has also been as a result of the Islamic religion which is integral to the politics of most of these countries. For instance, most of these countries are not members of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Act. They follow the Sharia loss and have some gender discrimination which has created issues with developed countries.

Military relationships have intensified in the region as a result of the political instability and the crucial role that oil plays in the world economy. During the Iraq War in 2003 the United States sent its troops to go and help stop the war. To date, there is still a significant number of the US troops in the Afghanistan region. The former president of the United States- President Barack Obama removed some troops by 2014 but left others claiming that they will remain in Afghanistan oil for the purpose of providing advice to their local troops and not for military assistance.

The other military involvement of the US was during the reign and alleged terror activities by Saddam Hussein in which the US troop invaded Iraq and removed him. US military has also been involved in Libya where they provided Libya with ‘no-fly zone’ and an air support. For decades, the United States has had a lot of tension with Iran due to its nuclear program. The effect of the nuclear weapons was heavily felt after the Second World War and developed countries including US may be afraid that with the constant political turmoil it is risky for any country to have a nuclear weapon.

The military involvement of France in the South West North Africa was well witnessed in 2013 when the military troops of France assisted the Mali to drive out fundamentalist Islamist from the North (Shelley, p.390). In the conflict between the traditional Islamic groups and the liberated ones in Mali Europeans were perceived to have a relevant role. Following this, several Europeans were taken hostage in Timbuktu as the Malian soldiers and the 600 troops led by French were fighting had to liberate the region and save the Europeans who had been taken hostage.

Amidst the political instability witnessed in North Africa and the Southwest Asia there are still significant elements in these countries that make the developed nations to be concerned about their affair. These countries supply other countries with oil and therefore have a significant influence on the global affairs. When they have political instability and war the economy of the developed countries are also affected. This has made developed countries such as the US constantly provide military assistance to the region and to help in establishing peace.

Work Cited

Goudie, Andrew. Encyclopedia of Global Change: Environmental Change and Human Society. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print

Shelley, Fred M. Nation Shapes: The Story Behind the World's Borders. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2013. Print.