After decades of war, the United States is pivoting from the Middle East, gearing itself for great power competition with China and Russia. But recent events bring to mind Al Pacino’s famous line from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” And they serve as a reminder that Washington should revisit its alliances in the region.
Indeed, the present moment is a good opportunity for the U.S. to reassess.
The Middle East is on fire. The Islamic Republic of Iran is emboldened. Tehran is Beijing’s foremost ally in the region.
China views Iran as its regional foil, capable of attacking American allies, disrupting shipping and trade, and thwarting U.S. attempts to increase regional integration and normalization.
On Oct. 7, Hamas and other Iranian proxies invaded Israel, murdering more than 1,200 people and taking an estimated 240 hostage. The terrorists tortured, raped, and mutilated many of their victims and proudly filmed their atrocities.
The attack was the largest massacre of Jewish civilians since the Holocaust. Adjusting for population differences, the massacre was roughly the equivalent of more than 30,000 Americans murdered in one day — more than 10 times the number killed by al-Qaida on 9/11. The massacre was reportedly planned well in advance, with Hamas and other U.
S.-designated terrorist groups receiving extensive training and support from Iran. Indeed, other Iranian proxies, such as Palestinian Isl.
