The Greater Middle East and Reform in the Bush Administration's Ideological Imagination

Abstract.

In pursuit of its foreign‐policy goals, the administration of President George W. Bush has attempted a dramatic reshaping of the vision of the Middle East in the American mind. References to the “new” or “greater” Middle East now include countries far outside traditional concepts of the region, including those in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. The administration argues that this region is defined not by cultural (Arab) or religious (Islam) characteristics but by a lack of democracy; hence a grand strategy is needed to execute reform. This article examines current U.S. efforts to achieve reform in the region, the components of the ideological construction of the New Middle East, the perceived role of Iraq, Turkey's potential role as a “model” for the region, and responses from the region to current U.S.‐led reform efforts.

Key words:

• George W. Bush
• geopolitics
• identity construction
• Middle East
• political geography
• presidency.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dona J. Stewart

Dr. Stewart is an associate professor of geography and the director of the Middle East Institute at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302.