A critical examination of America's foreign policy failures in the Middle East by a seasoned diplomat. Chas W. Freeman Jr., a former U.S. ambassador, analyzes the state of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, building upon his previous work to examine developments since 2010. He offers insights into the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Arab Spring's consequences, and the increasing influence of China and other global powers. Freeman's analysis provides possible policy remedies for the United States’ recent military and diplomatic “misadventures” in the Middle East. This volume is for readers seeking a deeper understanding of international relations, Middle East politics, and the challenges facing U.S. foreign policy in this vital region. “Chas Freeman is one of our country’s best practitioners of diplomacy, an art he argues we have neglected in favor of military options... He has given us a wake up call. Let’s hope we hear it.”—Hon. Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of Defense "No diplomat of his generation has a finer intelligence, a better ear to listen, as great a willingness to pierce self-deception or as gifted a pen as Chas Freeman. Insight leaps from every page of this remarkable volume."—Jessica T. Matthews, former President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace "If you don’t know whether to laugh or cry about America’s bungling and ineptitude in this all-important region, you’re certain to do both reading Freeman’s rueful and iconoclastic narrative."—Robert Dreyfuss, contributor to Rolling Stone and The Nation "If I could, I'd get this book on the curriculum of every service academy and defense college and university. Our military will pay the price for our wrong-headed policies unless we change them. Freeman shows the way.”—M.J. Rosenberg, veteran political commentator Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. spent three decades as a U.S. diplomat, winding up his government service as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He was the principal American interpreter during Pres. Nixon's breakthrough visit to Beijing; played a key role in shaping relations with China as it reformed and opened up; helped negotiate the deal with the leaders of Cuba, South Africa, Angola, and the Soviet Union that ended the colonial era in Africa by terminating South African rule in Namibia and removing Cuban troops from Angola; served as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; designed NATO's transformation into a Europe-wide security system; and set up military-to-military relations with China. Since his retirement from government, Freeman has remained actively engaged on five continents and has continued to speak and write widely on issues of international relations and U.S. foreign policy. America's Continuing Misadventures in the Middle East By Chas W. Freeman Jr. Just World Publishing, LLC Copyright © 2016 Chas W. Freeman, Jr. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-68257-005-0 Contents Map, Introduction: Lessons from America's Continuing Misadventures in the Middle East, Part 1: The Role of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, Is Israel a Strategic Asset or Liability for the United States?, America's Faltering Search for Peace in the Middle East: Openings for Others?, Failed Interventions and What They Teach, Israel-Palestine: The Consequences of the Conflict, Hasbara and the Control of Narrative as an Element of Strategy, Grand Waffle in the Middle East, Israel's Fraying Image and Its Implications, Part 2: After the Arab Uprisings: Regression and Anarchy, The Arab Reawakening and Its Strategic Implications, After Abbottabad: Islam and the West, The Mess in the Middle East, About Syria, The Collapse of Order in the Middle East, Part 3: The Middle East and the World Beyond It, The Challenge of Asia, Change without Progress in the Middle East, The United States, the Middle East, and China, Coping with Kaleidoscopic Change in the Middle East, The Middle East and China, Part 4: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy, Paramountcy Lost: Challenges for American Diplomacy in a Competitive World Order, Nobody's Century: The American Prospect in Post-Imperial Times, Obama's Foreign Policy and the Future of the Middle East, The Geopolitics of the Iran Nuclear Negotiations, Saudi Arabia and the Oil Price Collapse, Saudi Arabia and the Oil Price Collapse, The U.S. and Saudi Arabia: Marriage of Convenience on the Rocks?, Too Quick on the Draw: Militarism and the Malpractice of Diplomacy in America, Conclusion: Fixing the Mess in the Middle East, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 Is Israel a Strategic Asset or Liability for the United States? July 20, 2010 Is Israel a strategic asset or liability for the United States? In my view, there are many reasons for Americans to wish the Jewish state well. Under current circumstances, strategic advantage for the United States is not one of them. If we were to reverse