Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
U.S. security policy with Arab states has long needed a major overhaul. This compendium presents different arguments and proposals for how the United States can do just this.
Russia’s resurgence in the Middle East has demonstrated the Kremlin’s knack for achieving substantial diplomatic and military results with minimal investments.
It seems increasingly clear that the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East will change. But it is less apparent how the U.S. posture should change.
For decades, the United States has exported arms to help solidify alliances. Instead, in many cases, U.S. arms have helped reinforce the corruption that underpins state fragility.
Washington hopes to project power at a lower cost with fewer boots on the ground than the model of security assistance left over from the Cold War.
European nations are engaged in a fierce competition to become major arms exporters to the MENA region. As this goes on, competition with the United States might accelerate, too.
China will continue to deepen its economic and diplomatic footprint in the MENA region. Yet it is unlikely to replace the United States as the dominant security player.
The gap between what Gulf states expect from the United States and what Washington is willing to offer has widened in recent years, making a recalibration inevitable.
A perception remains that MENA states enjoy a stranglehold on Congress and the White House due to the jobs created by their weapons buys. Yet the data does not support this.
Ensuring that Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. security assistance, complies with federal laws and international human rights standards will require closely tracking and monitoring its weapons use.