Reports
Transforming the Middle East: The Origins, Impact, and Evolution of the Abraham Accords
rob_greenway
rob_greenway
Former Adjunct Fellow
The windows of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality building illuminated with the word "Peace" on September 15, 2020 to celebrate the signing of the landmark Israeli normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
The windows of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality building illuminated with the word "Peace" on September 15, 2020 to celebrate the signing of the landmark Israeli normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The  Look Ahead Series is a collection of policy memos examining the challenges that political, military, and business leaders must contend with today to ensure a secure, free, and prosperous world tomorrow.

Introduction

The Abraham Accords constitute the beginning of a transformation of a region that has confounded many, and that will continue to be a vital battleground astride the security and economic interests of world powers. American leadership was a necessary but alone insufficient condition to the emergence of this agreement. American leadership will remain essential to its growth and evolution. The alignment of our regional partners and allies in both economic and security domains will ensure that the agreement endures. It will also incentivize others to join us in pooling critical capacities to advance and defend mutual interests. This transformation serves to constrain Iran – the threat from which has been recognized as causal – even as it constrains the malign influence and predatory practices of China and Russia. They will continue to manufacture and exploit fissures among the U.S. and its regional partners if we fail to exploit the favorable shift in the region’s security and economic architecture. On the other hand, appropriate support will allow the Abraham Accords to advance and secure America’s interests with the use of significantly fewer resources and with more capable partners integrated as never before.

 

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