Abstract: The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States could result in American foreign policy changing dramatically toward the Middle East, as well as everywhere else. In the far more likely event that Hillary Clinton is elected, there will be more continuity than change in American foreign policy. Her ability to pursue her own initiatives in the region, though, will be limited both by regional realities and by broader international and American domestic political and economic constraints. Further, while the next president might prefer to place less emphasis on the region than previous presidents, the Middle East has a way of coming to preoccupy whoever is in the White House.
About the Author:
Mark N. Katz is a professor of government and politics in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.