ABSTRACT
The US policy toward the Persian Gulf region in the postwar era can be divided into five distinct periods: the Truman Doctrine of 1947; the formation of the Baghdad Pact which evolved into the Central Treaty Organization; the Eisenhower Doctrine; the Nixon Doctrine; and the Carter Doctrine, the instruments of which endure today through the Central Command. During the last four decades US policy alternated between two prominent and linked strategic concerns—protecting the flow of oil to the West and deterring Soviet political-military ambitions in the region. Since the close of World War II the United States and the Soviet Union have sought to frustrate or prevent each other from orchestrating or participating in regional alliance systems in the Middle East. As the US diplomatic role in the Middle East increased, it became clear that Great Britain was seriously considering withdrawing from the region and terminating its security commitments in areas east of Suez.
