The United States’ policies in the Middle East fail to protect American interests. Back in 2001, when the Taliban were losing and the Afghan military won. This victory seemed promising, but later efforts to make Afghanistan into a stable democratic nation were misled. After 20 years, the Taliban returned, which led to a significant loss of lives and resources. 

One of the serious mistakes is the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. At the height of the United States’ involvement, there were over 100,000 troops in the country, with many casualties. But with time, troops’ numbers are decreasing gradually. This reducing figure suggests a more gradual exit could have been possible. The rushed withdrawal wasted previous efforts and became the source of instability in the region. So the administration’s approach is not effective in bringing peace to the Middle East. 

US withdrawal from Afghanistan

The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has a very bad impact on American interests and the US allies. This is considered one of the biggest failures of the US military, the same as the fall of Saigon. It undermines the dedication of thousands of U.S. service members and raises doubts among adversaries about American commitment. Moreover, regional stability ‌increased when the Taliban sold ‌military equipment, having $80 billion. This exit of the US from Afghanistan also resulted in losing the strategic Bagram airbase and left many American citizens at risk under Taliban control. The women of Afghniatsna and all US supporters are now in severe danger.  

Furthermore, before leaving, the United States failed to consult NATO. This failure has created resentments that restrict ‌future cooperation in military efforts. After the US withdrawal, many terrorist groups get a chance to regain their strength in Afghanistan. This includes al-Qaeda and ISIS-K. In the Middle East, the designed policies of the Middle East strengthened the power of Iran unintentionally. This strength of Iran makes them able to expand oil exports and assist the terrorist group. At the same time, it fails to curb its nuclear ambitions or destabilize its activities.

Support of Iran for Houthis

In Yemen, the Houthis get great support from Iran. With this assistance, they have seriously affected international shipping in the Red Sea. This action causes to rise in the cost of shipping around the world and causes inflation. It also dropped traffic through the Suez Canal. The US is against putting the name of Houthis on its terrorist list after having taken them off before. The United States also said Saudi Arabia should keep away from Houthis and send its forces to deal with them. But this strategy of the US has also failed. 

This situation is a problem for Egypt and also affects Europe. The less traffic in the Suez Canal is hurting Egypt’s economy. This is especially true because fighting in Gaza could lead many Palestinian refugees to come to Egypt, which would make political problems there more likely. If Egypt becomes unstable, it could result in many refugees going to Europe, which would be much larger than past migrations from Libya, Syria, or Africa.

The journalist’s assassination has been the major focal point of the US. This nation has also forgotten its crucial partnership with Saudi Arabia. President Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah state.” This calling made ‌Saudi officials ‌less willing to cooperate. As a result, they have started building stronger ties with China and Russia instead.

Due to making various mistakes, the US makes its influence very less in the Middle East. Its withdrawal from Afghanistan was considered ‌a great failure that made Iran more powerful. To protect the Suez Canal, the US made many efforts and upset its allies like Saudi Arabia. After the 7-October attack, the nation did not respond well. 

The Biden administration tried to please different groups in the Democratic Party but ended up doing nothing effective. This failure to act risks making the situation in Gaza worse and could lead to more problems in the region.

The situation was under control ‌four years ago. The Taliban did not control Kabul. Iran was making efforts to become financially strong. The Suez Canal was open. The US also had good ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel, and oil was $40 a barrel in 2020; now it’s $82. But now the situation in the Middle East is worsening. They came from two major mistakes. First, the belief that the Middle East does not need any attention. Second, prioritizing a strong relationship with Iran. Now, the US is considered an unreliable ally. So, the next president will need to try to tackle these challenges.