For around 15 years, many American leaders — including all three presidents in that period — believed that the country was too deeply entangled in trying to reorder the societies of the Middle East. Yet here America is, once again, fighting a war to reorder a society in the greater Middle East. And like in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, this war seems unlikely to turn out quite as its proponents may hope. It responds to genuine crises in the Middle East. It sees a logic that is political, military and moral in responding.

Source: Washington Post March 13, 2026 14:31 UTC