A month after I left my position in Baghdad as the U.S. Senior Defense Official to Iraq, the world witnessed the horrific fall of Afghanistan back into the hands of the Taliban and the complete dismantling of U.S. efforts to maintain a fragile, self-sustaining situation in that country. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s four-day visit to the Middle East and a stunning military success in the 12-Day War between Iran and Israel, we are seeing change that has created conditions for sustainable gains in the region after decades characterized by endless losses. Instead of draining U.S. accounts in pursuit of geopolitical commitments in the region with little to show for it, as his predecessors had done for decades, President Trump established robust economic ties between the United States and Middle East power players – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emeritus, and Qatar.
Author: Bob Unruh
Published at: 2025-07-13 20:04:16
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