The US and The New Middle East

Fault Lines Travels To The Frontlines Of The War In Libya To See What US Policy Looks Like On The Ground.

Fault Lines
Last Modified: 22 Aug 2011 07:10
Courtesy Of "Al-Jazeera"

PART-1, Libya:


In the first of a two-part series, Fault Lines examines how the Obama administration is reacting to the enormous changes taking place across the Middle East. The decision by the US to intervene in the Libyan conflict has a profound impact on the future of the country. But what are the driving forces behind America's decision to get involved?

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Libyan rebels and their Arab Spring armament The reality of filming in Libya Plumes of smoke in Libya In pictures: Libya

Fault Lines reporter Sebastian Walker travels to the frontlines of the war in Libya to look at what US policy looks like on the ground.

White House officials claim that they acted to prevent a humanitarian disaster - but was such a disaster imminent and what were the other factors involved? Did the US intervene to stabilise Libyan oil production for the global markets? Did the White House decide to depose Muammar Gaddafi to send a message to others in the region? And how does this open up the US to accusations of double standards in its foreign policy?

Through interviews with senior American diplomats and policy makers in Washington, Fault Lines examines the motivation behind the US decision to intervene in Libya. We take a look at what it means for the future of US foreign policy in the region and what impact it has on the people fighting along the frontlines.




PART-2, The Gulf:

Fault Lines' Seb Walker travels to the Persian Gulf to look at US policy in the region, and to explore why the US has taken an interventionist policy in Libya, but not in Bahrain, where there has been a brutal crackdown on protesters. Why does the White House strongly back democracy in one Arab country, but not another?

Fault Lines travelled to Bahrain to hear from those who had been protesting, to ask them what they think about the lack of real US pressure on their country's rulers. The country is also home to the US 5th Fleet, where Fault Lines gained exclusive access to the USS Ronald Reagan, an American aircraft carrier deployed in the Persian Gulf.

The film traces the US' response to the protests in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and examines how the stability of oil prices, the steady supply of crude, and concerns over Iran have affected America's response.

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In pictures: The Gulf Filming on the USS Ronald Reagan