The Trump Administration brokered the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 with the purpose of setting forth “a new vision for Middle East peace.” Israel and four Arab nations—United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco—joined the Abraham Accords.

Last month, the Federalist Society’s International & National Security Law Practice Group hosted a panel entitled Abraham Accords: Promise-Potential; Risk-Reality. Panelists Brian Hook, David Goldman, Professor Bernard Haykel, and Professor Jamil Jaffer joined to discuss the potential of the Abraham Accords and the opportunity they present.

Brian Hook, Founder of Latitude, LLC, stated that “the principal driver of instability in today’s Middle East continues to be the revolutionary and expansionist regime in Iran” and that “we were able to bring together the Israelis, the Emirates, Bahrain, onto a common platform of shared security and common interests to deal with this threat.” Hook is “hopeful that with the right policy in place” more countries will join the Abraham Accords.

Princeton University Professor Bernard Haykel said that it would make a big difference if Saudi Arabia joined the Abraham Accords. He stated, “If Saudi Arabia were to normalize with Israel, then I think you would see Kuwait and a number of all the other GCC countries join.”

The panelists also assessed the impact of the recent Chinese-brokered Saudi-Iran rapprochement on the potential for Saudi Arabia to join the Accords. President of Macrostrategy LLC David Goldman noted that “the Saudi decision to enter into this deal with the Chinese and the Iranians reflects their desire to diversify their security support after our ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan and let’s say our frustration with Ukraine.”

Watch or listen to Abraham Accords: Promise-Potential; Risk-Reality for further discussion on topics including the impact of Saudi Arabia’s alignment with Iran and whether America’s leadership is critical to salutary Accord developments.

Note from the Editor: The Federalist Society takes no positions on particular legal and public policy matters. Any expressions of opinion are those of the author. We welcome responses to the views presented here. To join the debate, please email us at [email protected].