United States Policy and Military Strategy in the Middle East

Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, testified before Congress, "in my 50-plus years in the intelligence business, I don't know of a time that has been more beset by challenges and crises around the world." Nowhere is that truer than in the Middle East. From Libya and Yemen, to Iraq and Syria, the old order in the Middle East, both the regional balance among states and the social order within states, is collapsing and no new vision has emerged to take its place. This underlying dynamic is made worse by the failure of U.S. strategy and leadership to shape events in this vital part of the world for the better. Instead, unfortunately, we have too often confused our friends, encouraged our enemies, and created a vacuum for hostile states such as Iran and Russia and vicious nonstate actors such as al-Qaeda and ISIL. This is a perilous moment in history for a region of enormous importance to American national interests. It is clear that we are engaged in a generational fight against brutal enemies and that defeating these enemies will require clear thinking, setting priorities, and a strategy funded by adequate resources.