The Weekend Edition of the Wall Street Journal on January 18-19, 2020, had a provocative essay by the controversial Dr. Martin Indyk, currently a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, former Clinton era Ambassador to Israel, State Department Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs and Obama era Special envoy for Israel-Palestinian negotiations: “The Middle East Isn’t Worth it Anymore”.
Indyk’s bottom line was the US has few vital interests at stake in the region and should set aside its “grandiose ambitions”. Takeaways were “a two-state solution to the Palestinian problem is a vital Israel interest, not a vital American one” and “We should be wary of those who should rush to battle stations on Iran”.
To rebut Dr. Indyk’s commentary, considering recent Trump Administration actions in the Middle East combating Iran’s hegemonic and belligerency against US Allies in the region, especially Israel, we held a wide-ranging discussion with Shoshana and Dr. Stephen Bryen.
We consider this dynamic couple as go-to informed experts in Washington, DC when it comes to Israel, US security and regional geo-political interests. Stephen Bryen is a former Reagan Era Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, noted military technology expert and Asia Times Columnist. Shoshana Bryen is senior director of the Jewish Policy Center and editor of its inFocus quarterly.