Steven A. Cook is a columnist at Foreign Policy and the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. His latest book is The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil wave as they attend Friday prayers in Tripoli on Sept. 16, 2011.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before a dinner at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on March 9, 2010.
A banner with a defaced picture of Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq's former intelligence chief and new prime minister-designate, is seen behind an anti-government demonstrator in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square on April 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) looks over at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as they line up for the family photo during the opening day of the G-20 Leaders' Summit at Costa Salguero in Buenos Aires on Nov. 30, 2018.
Members of Code Pink protest as Former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Jan. 14, 2020 in Washington.
