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Assuring Uneasy Gulf Allies: The Military Dimension
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Michael Eisenstadt - The U.S. currently has a credibility deficit that threatens its interests and endangers its allies. The steps it has taken to assure Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) allies - arms transfers, forward presence, and redlines - have failed to allay their doubts and fears. Only by pushing back against Iran's efforts to expand its regional influence can Washington hope to restore its credibility. To this end, the U.S. should ramp up support for the opposition in Syria, more proactively interdict Iran's arms shipments to allies and proxies in the region, strengthen support for those partners engaged in conflicts with Tehran's allies and proxies, and sharpen redlines regarding Iran's nuclear program to more clearly spell out the price Tehran would pay if it attempts a breakout. There is no reason that such a policy cannot go hand-in-hand with engaging Iran, just as the U.S. pushed back against Soviet aggression while engaging Moscow during the Cold War. As much as it may be in the American interest to conclude a long-term nuclear accord with Tehran, it is also a U.S. interest to curb Iranian activities that threaten the stability and security of U.S. allies in the region. The writer is director of the Military and Security Studies Program at The Washington Institute.