What is the "Greater Middle East"?
The Middle East region is often referred to as MENA, meaning the Middle East and North Africa. But in the 21st century, the geopolitical Middle East is much larger, reaching north to the South Caucasus, east to Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and south to Ethiopia, Somaliland, and Somalia. To understand the dynamics of power that are playing themselves out in this enormous region of the world and how they impact Americans, we must understand how the Greater Middle East is situated within the contemporary global dynamics of political and economic competition. As we experience the massive global changes brought about by our multipolar world, the Greater Middle East will take on even more significance to the foreign policies of the great powers, including the United States.
The vast majority of Americans from the Greater Middle East are not represented in U.S. foreign policy and lack institutional structures that would guarantee them a voice. U.S. foreign policy currently prioritizes some nations in the region, particularly Israel, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, over most others. In some cases exclusionary policies have led the U.S. to become entangled in foreign wars that involve mass atrocities. This has serious repercussions at home, causing harm to America's reputation and integrity, instigating strife between affected communities, and increasing discrimination and violence against the same groups that are being targeted abroad. We undermine our own strategic interests when we are divided at home.
​
U.S. leadership begins with its foundational values. The 21st Century Project seeks to balance the scales and liberate the United States from its lopsided dependency on a handful of players, thereby contributing to structural changes that will lead to greater security, prosperity, and peace at home and abroad.