For too long, progressives have spent their foreign policy energy cleaning up the messes of others. Small groups of dissenters have fought with clarity against disasters like the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the unjustifiable use of torture and extrajudicial detention after 9/11. Many of these same progressives saw the risks of ignoring justice for Palestinians and predicted the tragedy in Gaza.
But progressives don’t just oppose policy blunders. They also stand for an affirmative vision of American values and interests that benefits both America and the world—coherent policies that center rights, security, and prosperity for all. Yet the case for such progressive foreign policy is still largely missing from mainstream American political platforms.
Today, Century International unveils “A Blueprint for a Progressive U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East,” which articulates the progressive vision in detail. It offers a full and unapologetic answer to the supposedly intractable question: What should the U.S. government do in the Middle East?
Progressives have precise proposals for the executive branch and Congress that would accomplish their core aims for foreign policy in the Middle East: demilitarize American policy; restore moral leadership; equitably face the climate emergency; and, finally, support a just and durable peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Values Are Interests
Century International’s fellows produced this detailed agenda in consultation with a wide range of progressive experts. The result is not a consensus document but a clarion call. We believe it is possible and realistic to do good by doing right in the Middle East.
Our blueprint is a starting point, which we hope can grow into an enduring vision for a different approach to U.S. foreign policy. We will continuously expand the blueprint with new ideas in a living document that can serve as a resource for progressive policymakers.
There are real security threats in the Middle East, and genuine American interests at stake—and the U.S. government can achieve more by shifting its investment from military to diplomatic tools. America cannot pivot away from problems largely of its own making, in the region where Washington has dedicated by far the greatest share of its strategic effort and policy attention since the Cold War ended in 1990.
We believe it is possible and realistic to do good by doing right in the Middle East.
We began with some crucial shared principles. American values do not disappear beyond America’s borders. Everyone benefits when more people enjoy security, rights, and prosperity. Problems swept out of policymaker view inevitably surge back onto the agenda—often in destructive ways. Such has been the case with the Palestinian quest for rights and self-determination, which a long string of U.S. administrations avoided until the Hamas attack of October 7 and the indiscriminate Israeli war on Gaza.
Foreign policy debates rarely determine U.S. presidential elections, although polling suggests that 2024 might be an exception. Nationwide, nearly 4 in 10 voters (38 percent) say they are less likely to vote for President Biden because of his handling of the war in Gaza, according to a July 2024 Century Foundation/Morning Consult poll of 1,834 registered U.S. voters. Many core constituencies—including independents, swing state likely voters, and Democratic Party activists—are angry at Biden’s unqualified support for the Israeli assault on Gaza.
And while elections don’t turn on foreign policy, the well-being of the world and of Americans does. The health of America’s governance and democratic practices depends on consistent, values-driven policies. What we do abroad affects what we do at home. The United States can replace the vicious cycles of the forever wars with new virtuous circles, investing in rights, democracy, and diplomacy. A more just and peaceful world benefits America too.
Problems with Solutions
There’s a better path forward for America in the Middle East—one that aligns interests and progressive values. The politics are inseparable from the policy. The process determines the results.
America must work to solve the Middle East’s crises of governance, rights, and security—or else continue to be implicated in wars and misconduct, which not only harm millions of people in the Middle East, but also compromise core American interests.
All the recommendations in our blueprint make policy sense. Some are politically difficult, and a few are impossible right now, but are likely to become common sense positions within a generation. Many of the bedrock proposals for policies based on self-interest and justice already boast small but growing bipartisan support: for instance, there are policymakers across the political spectrum who want to end the forever wars, oppose torture, embrace diplomacy and human rights, want the United States to lead on facing the climate emergency, and advocate a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Our detailed recommendations address central issues, from rights and security for Palestinians and Israelis, to finance for climate projects, to concrete steps to dismantle the forever war architecture and replace it with constructive civilian engagement.
Congress should play a leading role in promoting a values reboot of U.S. foreign policy, which goes hand in hand with accountability and transparency for U.S. institutions—another goal that’s good for Americans and people everywhere.
The blueprint’s recommendations aren’t quick fixes. Long after the 2024 election is past, Americans and Middle Easterners will continue to suffer the long, corrosive consequences of state breakdown and lost rights.
But the good news is that America can play a constructive role in belatedly addressing the core crises of the Middle East. The even better news is that a progressive Middle East policy that combines values and interests can bring security and prosperity to millions in the Middle East— and do the same for millions of Americans.
Header Image: Laborers work on building a water reservoir to serve the town of Hamanna to the east of Beirut in Lebanon, under the Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme in Lebanon, in a 2018 photo. Source: ILO
Tags: middle east, israel palestine peace, progressive foreign policy
Here’s What Progressive Foreign Policy in the Middle East Should Look Like
For too long, progressives have spent their foreign policy energy cleaning up the messes of others. Small groups of dissenters have fought with clarity against disasters like the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the unjustifiable use of torture and extrajudicial detention after 9/11. Many of these same progressives saw the risks of ignoring justice for Palestinians and predicted the tragedy in Gaza.
But progressives don’t just oppose policy blunders. They also stand for an affirmative vision of American values and interests that benefits both America and the world—coherent policies that center rights, security, and prosperity for all. Yet the case for such progressive foreign policy is still largely missing from mainstream American political platforms.
Today, Century International unveils “A Blueprint for a Progressive U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East,” which articulates the progressive vision in detail. It offers a full and unapologetic answer to the supposedly intractable question: What should the U.S. government do in the Middle East?
Progressives have precise proposals for the executive branch and Congress that would accomplish their core aims for foreign policy in the Middle East: demilitarize American policy; restore moral leadership; equitably face the climate emergency; and, finally, support a just and durable peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Values Are Interests
Century International’s fellows produced this detailed agenda in consultation with a wide range of progressive experts. The result is not a consensus document but a clarion call. We believe it is possible and realistic to do good by doing right in the Middle East.
Our blueprint is a starting point, which we hope can grow into an enduring vision for a different approach to U.S. foreign policy. We will continuously expand the blueprint with new ideas in a living document that can serve as a resource for progressive policymakers.
There are real security threats in the Middle East, and genuine American interests at stake—and the U.S. government can achieve more by shifting its investment from military to diplomatic tools. America cannot pivot away from problems largely of its own making, in the region where Washington has dedicated by far the greatest share of its strategic effort and policy attention since the Cold War ended in 1990.
We began with some crucial shared principles. American values do not disappear beyond America’s borders. Everyone benefits when more people enjoy security, rights, and prosperity. Problems swept out of policymaker view inevitably surge back onto the agenda—often in destructive ways. Such has been the case with the Palestinian quest for rights and self-determination, which a long string of U.S. administrations avoided until the Hamas attack of October 7 and the indiscriminate Israeli war on Gaza.
Foreign policy debates rarely determine U.S. presidential elections, although polling suggests that 2024 might be an exception. Nationwide, nearly 4 in 10 voters (38 percent) say they are less likely to vote for President Biden because of his handling of the war in Gaza, according to a July 2024 Century Foundation/Morning Consult poll of 1,834 registered U.S. voters. Many core constituencies—including independents, swing state likely voters, and Democratic Party activists—are angry at Biden’s unqualified support for the Israeli assault on Gaza.
And while elections don’t turn on foreign policy, the well-being of the world and of Americans does. The health of America’s governance and democratic practices depends on consistent, values-driven policies. What we do abroad affects what we do at home. The United States can replace the vicious cycles of the forever wars with new virtuous circles, investing in rights, democracy, and diplomacy. A more just and peaceful world benefits America too.
Problems with Solutions
There’s a better path forward for America in the Middle East—one that aligns interests and progressive values. The politics are inseparable from the policy. The process determines the results.
America must work to solve the Middle East’s crises of governance, rights, and security—or else continue to be implicated in wars and misconduct, which not only harm millions of people in the Middle East, but also compromise core American interests.
All the recommendations in our blueprint make policy sense. Some are politically difficult, and a few are impossible right now, but are likely to become common sense positions within a generation. Many of the bedrock proposals for policies based on self-interest and justice already boast small but growing bipartisan support: for instance, there are policymakers across the political spectrum who want to end the forever wars, oppose torture, embrace diplomacy and human rights, want the United States to lead on facing the climate emergency, and advocate a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Our detailed recommendations address central issues, from rights and security for Palestinians and Israelis, to finance for climate projects, to concrete steps to dismantle the forever war architecture and replace it with constructive civilian engagement.
Congress should play a leading role in promoting a values reboot of U.S. foreign policy, which goes hand in hand with accountability and transparency for U.S. institutions—another goal that’s good for Americans and people everywhere.
The blueprint’s recommendations aren’t quick fixes. Long after the 2024 election is past, Americans and Middle Easterners will continue to suffer the long, corrosive consequences of state breakdown and lost rights.
But the good news is that America can play a constructive role in belatedly addressing the core crises of the Middle East. The even better news is that a progressive Middle East policy that combines values and interests can bring security and prosperity to millions in the Middle East— and do the same for millions of Americans.
Header Image: Laborers work on building a water reservoir to serve the town of Hamanna to the east of Beirut in Lebanon, under the Employment Intensive Infrastructure Programme in Lebanon, in a 2018 photo. Source: ILO
Tags: middle east, israel palestine peace, progressive foreign policy