The U.S. Middle East Strategy Has Crumbled After 25 Years of War on Terror
Marc Lynch argues that the American-backed regional order established after the 1991 Gulf War has effectively collapsed, leaving the Middle East in a new, uncertain era.
Marc Lynch, a professor at George Washington University, writes that the American-led order created after the 1991 Gulf War is now defunct. The system relied on U.S. military bases to contain Iran and Iraq and on quiet deals with Arab rulers that exchanged security for silence on repression and the Palestinian issue. Decades of wars in Yemen and Gaza, coupled with a double standard that defended Ukraine while shielding Israel’s actions, eroded moral authority.
Recent events—Houthi naval disruptions, Iran’s missile barrage, and the 2026 conflict that exposed U.S. inability to protect Gulf allies—demonstrated the collapse of deterrence. Regional powers are increasingly turning to Beijing and Moscow, as seen in Saudi-Iran rapprochement mediated by China. Lynch calls for a shift away from military intervention toward diplomatic engagement with Iran and conditional aid tied to human-rights standards, though he doubts one outlet administration can deliver such change.
