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1 month ago | 
foreignaffairs.com | Elliott Abrams |Dennis Ross |Richard N. Haass |Mohammad Javad Zarif
For years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States enjoyed superpower status in a unipolar world. Its economy roared, and its military power went unmatched. When it came to pursuing its goals, Washington had to contend with few obstacles. But even during these boom times, American leaders sometimes botched foreign policy. The United States often made mistakes that caused it to punch below its weight internationally.
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2 months ago | 
foreignaffairs.com | Abigail McGowan |Philip Gordon |Elliott Abrams |Dennis Ross
For decades, the Middle East has been the region where diplomatic aspirations go to die. At least since U.S. President George H. W. Bush left office on the heels of the Gulf War, successive U.S. presidents have, often after fleeting periods of hope, ended up leaving the region in a more perilous state than they found it.
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Feb 3, 2025 | 
foreignaffairs.com | Edward Alden |Abigail McGowan |Dennis Ross |David Makovsky
Donald Trump begins his presidency with ambitions of being a peacemaker. He laid out this vision in his inaugural address, declaring that his administration “will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, by the wars we never get into.” Later that day, he basked in the success of the hostage cease-fire deal in Gaza, including by bringing the families of Israeli hostages to the inaugural parade.
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Feb 3, 2025 | 
foreignaffairs.com | Edward Alden |Abigail McGowan |Mitch McConnell |Dennis Ross
In his recent essay, “The Price of American Retreat” (January/February 2025), Senator Mitch McConnell lamented the failures of the Biden administration’s foreign policy and warned that “the response to four years of weakness must not be four years of isolation.” McConnell fears that an American “retreat” would embolden adversaries to advance while forcing allies to cower. His remedy: restore industrial capacity to sustain U.S. military predominance indefinitely.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
independent.ie | Dennis Ross
President-elect will enter office with leverage over both Israel and its Arab neighboursCarl von Clausewitz, a Prussian general and military theorist, famously noted that war is an instrument, not an end in itself. Only in circumstances in which one is fighting a war of survival can military means be said to overshadow political considerations. After the Hamas onslaught on October 7, 2023, with the country and its military in a state of shock, Israelis found themselves fighting a war of survival.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
hoover.org | Dennis Ross
October 7, 2023 was certainly the worst day in Israel’s history. An unimaginable intelligence and security failure produced a horrific number of deaths, unspeakable atrocities, and the loss for Israelis of a sense of security. But it did not produce what Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, expected. He believed he would trigger all of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance members joining in a massive, collective attack on Israel.
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Oct 11, 2024 | 
taipeitimes.com | Dennis Ross
By Dennis Ross A year ago, the Middle East seemed primed for a breakthrough: normalization of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. More broadly, US President Joe Biden’s administration was touting a de-escalation of tensions across the region. The US even seemed to have reached some informal understandings with Iran, not enforcing oil sanctions and permitting it to receive several billion US dollars in payments from Iraq for natural gas and electricity.
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Dennis Ross
A year ago, the Middle East seemed primed for a breakthrough: normalization of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. More broadly, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration was touting a de-escalation of tensions across the region. The U.S. even seemed to have reached some informal understandings with Iran, not enforcing oil sanctions and permitting it to receive several billion dollars in payments from Iraq for natural gas and electricity.
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Oct 8, 2024 | 
project-syndicate.org | Dennis Ross
en English
Politics
The massive losses suffered by Hezbollah and Hamas – and the weakening of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” – needs to be seen in strategic terms. Put simply, it creates an opening to transform for the better not just Gaza and Lebanon but also much of the region.
WASHINGTON, DC – A year ago, the Middle East seemed primed for a breakthrough: of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
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Aug 7, 2024 | 
foreignaffairs.com | Dennis Ross |a Professor |Obama administrations
On July 21, U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, prematurely hastening the lame-duck period of his tenure. Most observers assume that he will not be able to accomplish much in the coming months. But Biden has made it clear that there is one priority that he intends to pursue in his remaining time in office: an end to the war in Gaza and the restoration of American peacemaking in the Middle East.
