Middle East’s place for the US in the Shadow of its Energy Independence

Since late 19th century fossil energy began to become governments’ development engine and that’s why super powers made some arrangements to control regions with multiple oil and gas reserves. The theory of “out of oil” and “peak oil” theory doubled the importance of energy-producing regions or strategic energy ellipse. The Middle East, which has largest reserves of oil and gas, has clearly become significant and the super powers have put controlling over this region in their agenda. Some of their usual approaches to control the region included military attack, coup d’état, using a proxy government and establishing military bases. New advances in energy field including discovery and commercialization of unusual resources, which started in the US and will likely spread to other regions, have challenged two keywords in the former paradigm of fossil energy concentration in particular regions and “out of oil” and therefore undermined the importance of this region for the US. This article examines the implications of unusual energy commercialization on the US foreign policy strategy in the Middle East. Based on hegemonic stability theory, this article argues that the US, despite energy independence, will still be present in this turbulent structure. The necessity of controlling energy artery and opposing security threats in this region will make the Americans not to let go of this region despite energy independence.