Analysts of American policy in 2025 have the unusual advantage of being able to assess the new president’s likely policies against the backdrop of what he did in his first term, four years earlier. The prognosis is not positive.

The war in Gaza has brought the region to a crossroads. What are the possible outcomes of the war, and how might the United States use its influence to shape a long-term settlement that leaves both Israel and the Palestinians in a better position? How might Arab states in the wider region be brought into a settlement? What are America’s interests in the Middle East and how can it advance them?

Join us for a discussion of the article “American Policy in the Middle East: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead" by Daniel C. Kurtzer. It is attached to this announcement and hard copies will be available at Reston Library. Leading our talk will be Anne Patterson, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from 2013-2017, and Kissenger Senior Fellow at Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs.

A short film on the topic will be shown at 1:00, followed by discussion at 1:30.