Nach Gaza: Pragmatismus, nicht Idealismus

In an essay for *Defining Ideas*, [Russell A. Berman](https://www.hoover.org/profiles/russell-berman) argues that the second Trump administration has already “initiated significant shifts in Middle East policy” that have “profoundly” changed dynamics within the region. Berman suggests that the US degradation of Iranian “axis of resistance” proxies across the Middle East, in concert with Israel, has been effective but remains incomplete. As he writes, “Terrorist militias still pose credible threats to the individual sovereign states and therefore to the regional order.” Nevertheless, Berman expresses guarded optimism that the Palestinian populations in Gaza and the West Bank will take steps toward meaningful self-rule, which could start at the municipal level. As he concludes, “A combination of effective local governance under a transitional authority and economic investment, especially from the Gulf, will eventually be the way forward, but this will take time.”