Syriana is a film that revolves around the many facets of relations between the United States and the Middle East. The film is divided into several plots aimed at identifying the roots of Islamic militancy and terrorism in the Middle East, the prospects for democracy and full self-determination, and the various effects of current American policies.Syriana begins with the attempts of CIA agent Barnes to eliminate illegal arms trafficking. . During his mission, Barnes notices that a missile is being sold to an unknown person and informs his superiors who advise him to ignore the missing missile. Although it is not necessarily an American intention, this arms sale is very real in other situations. There are many accounts of America selling weapons to various Middle Eastern organizations for different purposes (Goldschmidt & Davidson, 2005, 313). A buildup of weapons does not spread peace. After the missile, it ends up landing in the hands of two Islamic fundamentalist boys who use it for terrorist purposes. We must first understand why the boys turned to Islamic fundamentalism and what drove them to martyrdom. Zunes provides an excellent explanation. Applying his theory to the film, we come to the conclusion that neoliberal economic policy causes unemployment among boys due to rapidly changing economies. With no other option, turning to fundamentalist Islamic schools becomes a solution because it provides them with nourishment and answers to life's problems. The boy's final efforts were to express his anger by following fundamentalist teachings (Zunes 2001). The difficulties caused by an unsustainable economy and the rise of weapons in the Middle East can directly provoke acts of terrorism. Following Barnes reveals the most apparent problems between...... middle of paper ...... prosecutions facing the Middle East today would be non-existent. Works Cited Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Goldschmidt, Arthur Jr., and Lawrence Davidson. A Concise History of the Middle East, Eighth Edition. Denver: Westview Press, 2005. Pitz, Arthur. Lecture notes on modern Iran; American National Interests in the Middle East, online course History 151, 2009Syriana. Real. Stephen Gaghan. Perf. George Clooney and Matt Damon. Warner Bros., 2006. DVD. Zeidan, David. “The Islamic Fundamentalist View of Life as a Perpetual Battle,” Middle East International Affairs Review, Vol 5, no. 4, (December 2001), http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2001/issue4/jv5n4a2.htm Zunes, Stephen. “American Policy Toward Political Islam,” Foreign Policy in Focus, (September 12, 2001), http://www.alternet.org/story/11479