Introduction

All nations, including our own, develop foreign policies — long- and short-term — that reflect their goals and guide their behavior in regard to other nations or regions they deem important to their national interests. This selection of video clips from 2013 Conference speakers explores recent events in the Middle East and related US policy from a variety of perspectives, with topics including: current US policies in the region, the historical development of these policies, consideration of policy successes and failures, lessons learned from each, and a way forward for US policy makers in the 21st century.

In assessing US foreign policy, consider also the significance of strategy. Although a clear goal may well exist in policy, implementation of action steps to achieve that goal may or may not succeed. In this realm of uncertainty between stated goals and effective implementation of action steps, strategy is tested.

In this sense, strategy reflects the ever-changing dynamic of working toward stated policy goals through diplomatic and military action. Strategy can change as events unfold, whereas policy goals usually remain constant. Your students should consider this issue by asking themselves: What factors need to be considered in developing strategy? What are the challenges to implementation of that strategy? What developments on the ground or in dialogue might lead to a change in policy goals?

Please review the video clips below to learn more about the interplay of policy and strategy.