A Report to the Congress on Security Arrangements in the Persian Gulf
Author | : Caspar W. Weinberger |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 38 |
Release | : 1987* |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:227718784 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (84 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf reflects longstanding American strategic, political, and economic interests in the area. Our policy has been consistent and is calculated to defend and advance critical U.S. interests, as well as those of our allies and friends in the region. There has long been a mutuality and overlap of such interests, and this fact has enabled the United States, our western allies, and friendly Gulf states to pursue parallel policy lines. Protecting eleven Kuwaiti ships under U.S. flag is not part of an open-ended unilateral American commitment to defend all non-belligerent shipping in the Persian Gulf. It is a limited but effective signal of our determination to stand up to intimidation, to support our friends, and to help contain, and eventually end, the Iran-Iraq war.