Will the 2024 U.S. Election Prove an Inflection Point for Middle East Policy?

This program is part of AGSIW’s U.S. Presidential Election series.

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election draws closer, the rest of the world is looking for insight on the trajectory of U.S. global priorities. With Israel’s expanding conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon and rising tensions with Iran, the next U.S. administration will be under pressure to enhance stability and define and secure Washington’s priorities. 

Do the two candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, have significantly differing perspectives on U.S.-Middle East policy? What role would a new administration play in brokering a cessation in the conflicts Israel is pursuing against Hamas and Hezbollah? What would distinguish their attitudes toward Iran, and will there be a return to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program or intensifying confrontation? How would each approach traditional U.S. regional partners and the potential for a new mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia? Will the United States remain deeply engaged militarily in the Middle East regardless of who wins the presidential election, or is there the potential for a substantive pullback from either a Harris or Trump administration? What challenges and opportunities for Gulf Arab countries might emerge from either scenario? 

The views represented herein are the author's or speaker's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AGSI, its staff, or its board of directors.