Accede or not Accede?: The United States and the Question of Joining the Baghdad-Pact

Authors : Mehmet RAKİPOĞLU, Max WİTTMANN

Pages : 1-17

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Publication Date : 2020-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :To contain Soviet influence in the world the United States had allied with many states to be able to retaliate potential communist attacks. After the founding of NATO to protect Europe and SEATO for South Asia, the Baghdad Pact was established to shield the Middle East. Its members were Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Great Britain, just the US did not accede, despite having initiated the program and being a member of the other organizations. The paper aims to explain this American decision and shows that the United States was caught between several dilemmas and ambiguities. Would acceding motivate further states to join or to object the pact? Would it, in the tensions following the Suez crisis deter Egypt and the USSR or enrage them further? In how far would it further stir up the Arab-Israeli conflict? Would US-accession be perceived as new colonialism, just as the British before and how would American military spending be affected? In the end, the negative effects of accession were seen as more serious than the positive ones and the pact was left to its fate.
Keywords : ABD, Ortadoğu, Bağdat Paktı