The Middle East. The United States has five primary security interests in the Middle East: nuclear proliferation, the war in Iraq, the security of Israel, the war against terror, and energy.

I discuss the first three as follows:

Nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The focus of efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East begins with Iran. The United States needs to continue to work with its allies to find a diplomatic solution to this problem, though all options should remain on the table. This includes improving relations with Russia.

The War in Iraq. The United States must end its involvement in Iraq. History has proven that committing national resources, especially the military, to strategic operations, without defining obtainable objectives and goals and without any exit strategy, is a grave error that costs the American people deeply. The people of Iraq must now define, defend and support their own government. We will support that effort, as we redeploy our forces in a responsible manner, out of Iraq. We must work with our allies in the region, specifically Arab and Muslim countries, and encourage their support of the Iraqi government. These allies must contribute diplomatic, financial and law enforcement assets to support our plan. This includes forgiving portions of the Iraqi debt. Lessons learned in Iraq should also be applied in Afghanistan. As both Britain and Russia have learned to their regret, war in Afghanistan should not be expanded without defined objectives and goals, and an exit strategy. Allies should also be enlisted as in Iraq.

Israel. The United States must open channels to negotiate with Syria and Iran to guarantee the long-term security of Israel. We must work to solve the major problems that exist for us in this region beginning with once again becoming an effective mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.