s were opposed to the establishment of a non-melting pot nation, one maintained specifically only for Jews. However, also in 1897 the first Zionist Federation was founded in the United States Zionism rejected assimilation or the melting pot concept of a nation. Theodore Herzl outlined his reasoning for why such a state was necessary in Der Judenstaat (1896), “We have sincerely tried everywhere to merge with the national communities in which we live, seeking only to preserve the faith of our fathers. It is not permitted us,” (Neff 2003, 1). The origination of Zionism did not have an immediate or noticeable impact on United States policy toward the Middle East in the early 20th century, as it would in later decades. As United States Secretary of State Philander C. Knox maintained in 1912, “The problems of Zionism involve certain matters primarily related to the interests of countries other than our own,” (Neff 2003, 1).
United States policy toward the Middle East would begin to grow more complex as the 20th century began to unfold. Zionism and the issue of settlement in Palestine by Jews would heavily influence developments in the Middle East and, as a result, United States policy toward the region. After the end of WWII, United States policy toward the Middle East revolved around three goals that would remain paramount for the next four decades:
B) Outmaneuvering the Soviet Union for political and strategic advantage in the region; and,
C) Ensuring the security of Israel, while building a “special relationship” between the United States and Israel.
In the first four decades of the twentieth century the United States had a relatively friendly reputation among Middle Easterners who appreciated that the United States had no imperial ambitions in the Middle East. However with each subsequent decade of the 20th century, America gained greater economic and military strength as a global Superpower. This n...