PHILADELPHIA – December 2, 2024 – The Middle East Forum (MEF) has published its policy plan, “Reasserting American Power in the Middle East: A Blueprint for the Trump Administration” (PDF). It outlines ways to address such challenges as Iranian aggression, Islamism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and Middle East studies. Among its recommendations:
- Iran: Renew the “maximum pressure” strategy but now with the added goal of regime change. Expand sanctions, support internal opposition movements, and disrupt Iranian proxies.
- Domestic security: Enforce border security, including expanded travel bans, heightened deportations, and enhanced vetting of Special Interest Aliens.
- Regional security: Strengthen the U.S.-Saudi relationship, recalibrate relations with Qatar, and reassess military basing options in the region.
- Islamism: Establish a “Commission on Islamism” as a coordinating body to survey American Islamist movements and establish new approaches for disrupting and thwarting Islamist ideological networks.
- Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Enhance Israel’s security by providing it with the materiel and diplomatic support necessary to defeat and disarm Hezbollah and Hamas while undermining the Iranian regime and strengthening Saudi-Israeli ties.
- Middle East studies: Enforce transparency in foreign funding of American universities, curtail campus extremism, deport foreign extremists, and strengthen protections against antisemitic violence.
The plan provides in-depth proposals, including interagency coordination, risk mitigation, leveraging private-sector engagement, and evaluation metrics. Gregg Roman, MEF director, explains how “This document provides a blueprint for safeguarding American values, enhancing national security, and strengthening global alliances. It will empower the Trump administration effectively to confront critical challenges.” MEF President Daniel Pipes adds, “Our plan focuses on Iran as the Middle East’s primary threat to stability. By isolating Tehran and dismantling its proxies, we can overthrow the regime and weaken the Islamist movement, to the benefit of the region, the United States, and American allies.”
The Middle East Forum, a non-profit organization, promotes American interests in the Middle East and defends Western civilization against Islamism. For more information, visit www.meforum.org.
For Immediate Release:
For more information, contact:
Gregg Roman
Email: roman@meforum.org
Phone: +1 (215) 546 5406
