Professor Walid Phares published an article in the weekly review al Watan al al Arabi in which he outlined his view of America’s permanent strategic positions in the Middle East related to US national Security. Phares, the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and advisor to members of Congress argued that US Administrations may develop various and different policies regarding the region of the Greater Middle East, but the strategic threat against America remains clear and identified by national security and defense agencies. Phares said “the two main threats are the Salafi-Jihadi global networks including al Qaeda and the “Iranian axis” which incorporate Hezbollah, radical pro-Iranians in Iraq and the Syrian regime.” He said “under the Bush Administration there was a different narrative than under the Obama Administration, but al Qaeda and Iran still constitute a threat to the United States and as long as the threat continues American strategies must cope with the challenge.”“Regarding Iran, the US must gather an alliance to stop the nuclear weapon development. Regarding Lebanon, there should be a disarming of Hezbollah. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the armed local forces should be empowered and trained to fight the Terrorists both Salafists and Khomeinists. To solve the Arab Israeli conflict the US is seekign the establishment of a two states solution with a Palestinian viable state and a secure and recognized Israel.” Phares reviewed America’s fundamental strategies regarding the containment of the global Jihadist threat in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.”
