The Economist Reviews U.S. Middle East Policy

The Economist recently published a retrospective on U.S. policy in the Middle East. The Bush administration’s tactical and strategic failures and the Obama administration seeming inability to produce results, in addition to organic changes in the region, have diminished American political clout in the eyes of many, the author writes. Despite the apparent weakness in U.S. policy, the Obama administration has had some quiet successes. On Iran, “Obama’s mixture of diplomatic overtures and sticking to principles has left its rulers rattled and lonely,” while Iraq’s government is now “a legitimate, independent institution.” The Economist closes by saying that America’s limited achievements and declining interests in the Middle East may “one day lead Americans to ask why they invest so much in a troubled region with such poor returns.”