US involvement in the Middle East began with Eisenhower

An article published in the latest issue of Presidential Studies Quarterly studies the Eisenhower Doctrine of 1957 to find that it first accepted the responsibilities in the Middle East that the U.S. would retain for decades. The doctrine also increased the likelihood that the United States would fight in the region. It declared that the U.S. would use economic and military aid and armed forces to stop the spread of communism in the region; Congress gave Eisenhower the authority to dispense 200 million dollars to any country seeking assistance against communism. Although never formally invoked during his presidency, the doctrine guided his policy in three controversies: preserving the reign of Jordan's King Hussein, organizing military maneuvers against Syria, and performing a military intervention in Lebanon.