The Middle East is in a period of momentous change. Testifying before a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee last week, RAND's Shelly Culbertson described this moment as a strategic opportunity for the United States. With Iran experiencing several significant setbacks in recent months, Washington could move swiftly to “help set a new course for the region.”
While recovery is ultimately the responsibility of Middle Eastern countries, she said, it is in U.S. security and economic interests to stand with regional nations in creating a more stable and prosperous future. Positioning the United States as the partner of choice “is not charity,” Culbertson said, “it's strategy.”
What might this look like? Washington could commit to mediating the ends of active conflicts, take steps to address long-term humanitarian crises, support postwar recovery, encourage improvements in governance and job opportunities, and focus its engagement on priority locations.
The United States has a choice, Culbertson concluded: Treat the Middle East as a region of endless quagmires or help it become a region of opportunity. “We can guide the trajectory of which future unfolds.”
