Principles to Guide U.S. Military Engagement in the Middle East

Jan 31, 2017
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A U.S. Army soldier on patrol in Iraq
About the Authors
Ambassador James Jeffrey
James Jeffrey

Ambassador is a former U.S. special representative for Syria engagement and former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Iraq; from 2013-2018 he was the Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute. He currently chairs the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program.

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt

Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.

Articles & Testimony

The military cannot be effective unless it is used to implement policies based on sound geopolitical judgment and an accurate reading of the region's political and cultural realities.

Some of the most significant challenges the Trump administration will face are in the Middle East. These include the threat of salafi-Jihadist terrorism, Iran's efforts to create a "Shiite crescent" spanning the region, and a resurgent Russian role. In the Middle East, President Donald Trump, like his last five predecessors, will be a wartime president -- whether he wants to or not...

Read the full article on the Cipher Brief website, or download the longer study from which it is drawn, U.S. Military Engagement in the Broader Middle East (Washington Institute, 2016).

Cipher Brief

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