Navigating Middle East Relations: Tensions, Conflicts, and Alliances

Описание: Recorded on September 17, 2025

U.S. policy in the Middle East has consistently been a defining challenge for every presidential administration. Experts and analysts agree that over the last five years, a significant paradigm shift has dramatically altered the region’s geopolitics. This shift encompasses signs of stability, such as the Abraham Accords and the 2023 Iran-Saudi rapprochement, alongside more recent conflicts like the Hamas-led October 7th attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Other factors include the power vacuums left in Syria and Lebanon, the Twelve-Day War between Iran and Israel, and Israel’s targeted assassination of Yemen’s Houthi-backed Prime Minister. These developments underscore the political volatility, civilian harm, and pivotal turning points that are shaping the region. All of this occurs amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, which remains a central focus of international debate and a critical question about U.S. leadership in the Middle East.

As alliances realign and conflicts intensify, the stakes for U.S. policy remain high. How will the current administration navigate the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas and address Iran’s regional influence, amid mounting national security concerns? How might multilateral institutions more effectively respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza? And what role can U.S. allies and partners play in advancing diplomacy and stability in the region?

Ambassador (ret.)Jeffrey Feltman and Ambassador (ret.) Susan Elliott, President and CEO of the NCAFP, discussed this timely topic of U.S. policy priorities amid the region’s evolving dynamics.