By Brian Katulis | May 18, 2011
To hear audio of our press briefing, click here.
To read the full column, click here.
Washington, D.C. – Today the Center for American Progress released “Changing the Mindset on U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Time to Set a Long-Term Strategy for a Region in Transition,” by Brian Katulis, in advance of President Obama’s speech in the region. This week represents a pivotal period that could define the Obama administration’s approach on the Middle East for the rest of its time in office, with President Barack Obama delivering major Middle East speeches and holding meetings with Jordanian King Abdullah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
President Obama must evaluate U.S. policy in the region as he looks at the complex mix of issues crowding America’s Middle East agenda: the popular uprisings and incomplete revolutions in several countries; Iran’s nuclear program and its regional aspirations; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the continued Iraq redeployment and future of U.S.-Iraq relations; and ongoing threats from terrorist networks even after bin Laden’s death. All this comes at a time when high oil prices threaten a fragile economic recovery at home.
One longstanding problem with U.S. policies in the Middle East is that they operate without a coherent strategy. That is, the individual pieces of America’s policy agenda for the region do not always add up to an integrated regional approach with a set of end goals. With this in mind, the Obama administration should set a new strategy for the region based on three pillars as it looks to the next year in the Middle East:
- Set a regional strategy to support political and economic reform.
- Reinvigorate efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict with the goal of a comprehensive peace by 2015.
- Continue to work aggressively to shape the strategic calculus of Iran’s leaders and people.
At this pivotal and historic juncture in the Middle East, the Obama administration should redouble its efforts to support the transition by adopting a more comprehensive reform package for Egypt, revive its longstanding but flagging efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, and stay the course on Iran. Moving more boldly—as President Obama did in his decision on the bin Laden raid—will lead to greater chances for progress and change in the region.
To hear audio of our press briefing, click here.
To read the full column, click here.
To speak to Brian Katulis, Matthew Duss or Sabina Dewan regarding President Obama’s upcoming speech on the Middle East, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202-481-8181 or [email protected].
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