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America Is Stuck with the Mideast
(Wall Street Journal) Walter Russell Mead - The reality is that the U.S. remains the paramount power in the Middle East and will remain committed to it for a long time to come. America's interests in the Middle East remain simple and in relatively good shape. The U.S. wants a balance of power in the region that prevents any power or coalition of powers inside or outside the region from being able to block the flow of oil to world markets by military means. It wants Israel to be secure. And in the middle to long term, it hopes to see the establishment of stable, democratic governments that can foster economic growth and peace. In today's Middle East, core U.S. goals enjoy wide, even unprecedented support. As the Sunni Arab world joins hands with Europe, pushes back against Iran, and works to overthrow Syria's Bashar al-Assad, a strong coalition has formed around Washington's most urgent regional priority - the Iranian drive for regional hegemony capped by its nuclear program. U.S. objectives command enormous support across the region. If this is decline, we could use more of it. Often hated, rarely loved, the U.S. remains indispensable to the region's balance of power and to the security of the vulnerable oil-producing states on the Gulf.