Justin Logan, Cato’s director of defense and foreign policy studies, and Jon Hoffman, a foreign policy analyst at Cato, discuss the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas and the imperative of avoiding further U.S. entanglement in the Middle East. They talk about the deep problems with the Abraham Accords, Biden’s misguided bid for a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal, how client states employ “reverse leverage” on their U.S. patron, whether Israel can avoid America’s post‑9/11 mistakes, and the prospects for a genuine change in U.S. policy towards this region, among other issues.
Show Notes
- Justin Logan bio
- Jon Hoffman bio
- Jon Hoffman and Justin Logan, “Time to Change Course in the Middle East,” National Interest, October 21, 2023.
- Justin Logan, “The Hamas-Israel War,” Cato at Liberty, October 14, 2023.
- Jon Hoffman, “Pariah or Partner? Reevaluating the U.S.-Saudi Relationship,” Cato Institute policy analysis no. 961, September 20, 2023.
- Jon Hoffman, “A Shaky Foundation,” Cato Institute policy analysis no. 939, December 20, 2022.
- Justin Logan, “The Case for Withdrawing from the Middle East,” Defense Priorities, September 30, 2020.
