Why U.S. Foreign Policy Doesn't Understand the Arab World

posted on: Nov 26, 2025

By: Robert Jackson / Arab America Contributing Writer

The U.S. has been heavily involved in the Arab world for decades, yet it often falls short of its goals. From Iraq to Libya to the stalled peace process in Palestine, U.S. involvement has unfortunately produced outcomes far removed from the initial objective. Trillions of dollars and mountains of political capital, not to mention immense human costs, have been spent on wars and aid in the region. Yet, time and again, policymakers in Washington have failed to learn from, or in some cases, even acknowledge their mistakes. Not only has this caused repeated fiascos, it has also led to the U.S. being caught off guard by crises that could have otherwise been prevented or at least predicted. 

Relying on the Military

One of the hallmarks of U.S. involvement in the region has been the overuse of its military to pursue political objectives. The policy establishment in Washington has long touted force as the ultimate tool of international diplomacy. In the Iraq War, for example, the Bush Administration believed that removing Saddam Hussein and installing a new government would lead to stability and democracy. Instead, the invasion destabilized the region for decades and empowered extremist groups to rise in prominence. Despite the clear lesson, the U.S. tried to do the same in Libya in 2011, where once again, the nation fractured after the collapse of the dictatorship. Even after all of this, the U.S. has continued to use the military as its go-to solution to address its political objectives in the region. 

Alliances with Authoritarians

Another recurring error is the U.S. reliance on authoritarian states to provide stability in the region and protect American interests. This understanding has guided U.S. support for regimes for decades. These states have been viewed as helpful allies in the War on Terror or the influence of U.S. adversaries like Iran or China. But this stability is almost always temporary. Eventually, people’s frustrations erupt as seen in the Arab Spring, or more concerningly, in terrorist recruitment efforts. These alliances also have a damaging effect on America’s credibility on the world stage. Not only that, these states often don’t share U.S. interests in the region, further diminishing their reliability.

Ignoring Regional Context

Last week, General Petraeus, former director of the CIA, spoke at the 33rd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference. During his fireside chat, he displayed what seemed to be little learned from decades of experience in the region. Mainly, there seemed to be a complete unwillingness to understand conflicts from different perspectives. During his discussion, he brushed off Saudi Arabian interest in expanding U.S. nuclear deterrence in the region as unnecessary and spoke of October 7th as if it was completely unforeseeable. This institutionalized ignorance of historical context has led to the U.S. being unprepared for crises when they occur. Without a desire to understand conflicts, their causes, or acknowledge U.S. policy failures of the past, little to no progress can be made.

Neglecting the Israeli-Palestine Conflict

One of the largest oversights in U.S. policy circles is the treatment of the conflict as a long-term diplomatic puzzle rather than an urgent driver of regional instability. Washington’s consistent, nearly unconditional support for Israel deeply undermines its credibility in diplomacy not just in the region but globally too. Without exerting meaningful pressure on Israel to make peace, the U.S. has made itself incapable of being a successful peacebroker. 

How to Fix it

Top policymakers must learn to reason with the past to understand the future. Many, like General Petraeus, believe that October 7th was unforeseeable. However, a cursory examination of history would prove otherwise. With the root problem unresolved, the conflict was bound to escalate once again as it had done in the past. By constantly focusing on fighting the symptoms of the disease rather than the root causes, the U.S. remains on the back foot. Therefore, policymakers must aim to become less reactive to crises and instead craft an achievable long-term strategy in the region. Specifically, they must shift their focus to conflict resolution and away from crisis response. 

American policymakers must also learn to acknowledge their own mistakes and adjust policy when needed. Although administrations often blame their predecessors for failures in the region, neither side has fundamentally changed strategy accordingly. Military interventions, alliances with authoritarians, and pro-democracy rhetoric all continue to exist in contradiction. The U.S. must be willing to reduce its reliance on military solutions, adopt long term plans, and take steps to increase its credibility. Until then, the U.S. will continue to find itself repeating the same mistakes, producing neither stability nor goodwill.

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