Does current US policy, during President Barack Obama’s second term, have a specific strategy towards the Middle East?

Can we understand what US politics wants precisely from our regional countries, and what its priorities are towards the region’s regimes and people?

Is there a written document or explanation regarding America’s behavior towards our region?

All that we have, in this regard, is the speech given by US President Barack Obama at Cairo University at the beginning of his presidential term, as well as his first speech before the UN General Assembly after taking office.

All that we, the Arabs, have in this regards is soft-spoken words and promises from the US administration, whilst the Israelis have 4 primary and eternal guarantees from every presidency and administration, whether Republican or Democrat. These are as follows:

Firstly, Israel’s right to safety.

Secondly, a guarantee of Israeli military supremacy over the combined arms of all regional countries.

Thirdly, support for Israel’s legitimate right to self-defense against the “terrorism” of the Palestinian factions, as they describe it.

Fourth, a guarantee that Israel receives the most annual financial and military foreign aid.

These are guarantees that place the Arab region – whether we are talking about governments or people – as “second-class nations”. Second-class nations that are discriminated against whilst another country is granted permanent supremacy regardless of what is right or wrong or the decisions that it takes.

We are now suffering from a “lack of understanding” and a “lack of optimism” from the US administration towards our problems. In fact, the most dangerous thing in US politics is its confused and conflicting behavior towards the so-called “Arab Spring” states.

This relationship began with defending the old regimes, and then expressing concerns at their behavior, then warning them in this regard, and finally abandoning them. Following this, we saw “support” for the people, and then skeptical dealings with the new regimes, and then these regimes being supported, before a return to skepticism and questioning their intentions! As for Syria, there is no clear and explicit US position in this regard, and nobody knows to what extent Washington will support the Syrian opposition, politically, economically and militarily.

Nobody knows who or what to believe. Should we believe the support expressed by US Secretary of State Clinton towards Egyptian President Mursi regarding the Gaza agreement, or the statement issued by Senator John McCain 4 days later, in which he strongly criticized the domestic policies of the Egyptian president?

We are therefore facing confused and ambiguous policies, based on the logic of day-to-day dealings, according to need.

A superpower without a strategy; this is truly scary!