STRATEGIC RE-EVALUATION

By Liu Chang

After nearly 20 years in the shadows， Taliban forces once again took control of Kabul， capital of Afghanistan， on August 16. The rapid Taliban takeover and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country denoted the end of the Afghan War first launched by the George W. Bush administration in 2001. Furthermore， it indicated the failure of U.S. policy in the Greater Middle East region， leaving the local geopolitical structure facing a new round of profound adjustments.

Focal shifts

The September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001 were a major turning point for Americas Middle East policy.

From the viewpoint of the Bush administration， the Middle East had to be fundamentally transformed so that the breeding ground of terrorism and extremism could be eradicated once and for all. “The war on terror” and “the export of democracy by force” became the two founding U.S. pillars to reshape the regional order.

Militarily， the U.S. launched its wars in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. However， the so-called “war on terror” backfired， harming the in- terests of both the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East. Afghanistan and Iraq were thrown into turmoil and went on to become the training camps and export sources for international terrorism.

Moreover， the “democratic transformation” carried out by the U.S. was dislocated from the national， social and cultural conditions of the regional countries. Worse still， radical Islamic forces in the region have since arisen， taking advantage of U.S.-instigated chaos.

After assuming the presidency in January 2009， Barack Obama proposed to end the global war on terrorism and transfer the U.S. focus to cope with the rise of China.

The Donald Trump administration （2017-21） continued to reduce U.S. involvement in the Middle East， shifting the core objective to one that would “keep the Israelis and Saudis up， the Iranians down and the Russians out.”

Bidens priorities

Since taking office， President Joe Biden and his foreign policy team have been busy in the Middle East affairs， with a dizzying array of moves outlining the basic objectives of Americas strategy in the region.

The Biden administration hopes to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran to replace the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action （JCPOA） signed between Iran， the five permanent members of the UN Security Council （China， the U.S.， Britain， France and Russia）， Germany and the EU in 2015. Biden and his administration believe that once the nuclear issue is settled， the “big conundrums” regarding Irans regional behavior， missile program and economic development will be swiftly solved.