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US continues to curb its involvement in Middle East

US President Barack Obama's speech on attacking the Islamic State reflects the US regional strategy on Iraq, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: partial engagement only, since radical Islam and conflicts in the Middle East are first and foremost a regional problem.
U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands before speaking after a military briefing at U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, September 17, 2014.      REUTERS/Larry Downing   (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR46M8H
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"Is America back?" This was the question many Middle East analysts asked themselves after President Barack Obama's policy speech on confronting the Islamic State (IS). "No, absolutely not," a White House source told Al-Monitor.

That opinion is shared by many in the region: Saudi Arabia had hoped for greater US military engagement, while the Palestinians had wished for greater US political engagement.

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