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Biden's test with post-Trump Middle East
March 1, 2021The Middle East is not a foreign policy priority for U.S. President Joe Biden – just as it wasn’t for his predecessors Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
The Middle East is not a foreign policy priority for U.S. President Joe Biden – just as it wasn’t for his predecessors Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Obama's performance during the Arab Spring demonstrated that the U.S.’ policy of democracy promotion had dilapidated. By the end of his two terms, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya were still plagued by civil war.
Trump, an advocate of the "America First" genre of nationalism, too, strived to reduce his country’s footprint in the Middle East. His administration held talks with the Taliban and achieved a partial withdrawal from Iraq and Syria. The developments were met with fierce resistance from the U.S. establishment.
Nowadays, Biden follows in his predecessors’ footsteps, prioritizing the Asia Pacific region. But the Western hemisphere and Europe are both also on his list of priorities.
It is no secret that Biden, who dealt with the Middle East throughout his political career, is tired of the region’s problems – including Iraq, Syria, Daesh and the PKK/YPG.
U.S. regional presence
I believe the Biden administration will be compelled to deal with Middle Eastern issues for two reasons. The new administration needs to pay close attention to the U.S. presence in the region, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Syria, as well as the pressing iss
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