Unraveling the Complex Dynamics of U.S. Policy on the Hamas war

From time to time, I watch Al Jazeera, the Qatari-controlled media outlet that has become the dominant news source in the Middle East. Sometimes its analysis provides a thoughtful take on world events. However, when I recently tuned in to find out how they were covering the current surge in violence between Palestinians and Israelis, I was deeply troubled. Their featured commentator said that the United States was entirely to blame for the ghastly events currently playing out in Gaza and those committed by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7.

While the U.S. certainly has made mistakes in the Middle East and since the 1980s it is increasingly beholden to powerful pro-Israel groups inside the U.S., to say that America is entirely to blame for the current upsurge in violence, sounds closer to Russian and Chinese propaganda than serious analysis. Such reflexive-anti-American-blame-gaming calls for a response. It also calls for a clear articulation of U.S. policy on the Middle East along with an examination of the measures taken by the Joe Biden administration to address and resolve longstanding issues.