(Council on Foreign Relations) Elliott Abrams - The collapse of Afghanistan helps explain why the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states happened. Arab states face numerous threats and see their region as one where Iran, Turkey, and Israel are the most powerful nations. They also see a decline in American willingness to use power to protect U.S. allies. What is happening in Afghanistan will deepen the impression among Arab governments that they cannot rely on the U.S. to protect their security as they used to. Those states have increasingly drawn the conclusion that they have one neighbor who, unlike Iran or Turkey, poses no threat to them, and who continually displays a firm willingness to use military power against its enemies. That's Israel. For the Arabs, then, the Abraham Accords were the victory of self-interest over ideology. The writer, a former U.S. deputy national security advisor, is a senior fellow at CFR.
2021-08-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive