The Middle East is vital to global stability and crucial to U.S. interests. Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Syria have emerged as a centerpiece of American foreign policy, influencing how the United States is viewed in the region and around the world. Because of the gravity of conditions in the region, specifically in the mentioned countries and their vital importance, in similar ways or in their own unique way, the United States is facing one of its most difficult and significant international challenges in decades. With most events in the region having been set in motion by American decisions and actions, the United States has both a national and a moral interest to change course.