Creating a containment zone would immediately screw up relations with the countries within. It would essentially divorce us from the East. Overtly, that looks like a wonderful thing (I'm all for isolationism). But we rely on the East for resources. If there's a disruption in the oil trade, then that really does fuck up parts of the US economy (which then fucks up others). Energy security is a foundational component of national security.

I think, as a solution, instead of doming off the Middle East, we need to be focusing on becoming energy independent or (as I've said in this thread and others) we need to develop new energy sources.