This article combines insights from constructivism with historical analysis to argue that the US military engagement in the Gulf, beginning in the 1980s, was primarily driven by the changed roles of two actors: Iran after the Islamic Revolution and the United States attempting to regain its role as a global superpower following the Vietnam War. It argues that the year 1979 constitutes what constructivists deem a “critical juncture,” in which America’s response to three events—the Iranian Revolution/hostage crisis; the siege of Mecca’s Grand Mosque; and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan—helped to redefine the Gulf’s security architecture and made the region more insecure. It ends with a close examination of US participation in the Iran–Iraq War and the long-term implications of the Carter Doctrine’s changing logic.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
June 2021
Research Article|
June 01 2021
Rethinking the Carter Doctrine and its Geopolitical Implications Available to Purchase
Gregory Noth
Gregory Noth
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
Gregory Noth is a recent graduate of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States. Email: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Contemporary Arab Affairs (2021) 14 (2): 3–23.
Citation
Gregory Noth; Rethinking the Carter Doctrine and its Geopolitical Implications. Contemporary Arab Affairs 1 June 2021; 14 (2): 3–23. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/caa.2021.14.2.3
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.