The Abraham Accords: A Solid Step towards Regional Integration?
The Abraham Accords: A Solid Step towards Regional Integration?

Summary/Abstract: During President Trump’s 2016 – 2018 administration, the United States of America changed its regional policy. The previously-agreed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was repealed, the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in January 2020, and the Abraham Accords were signed in September 2020. Two important aspects changed in 2020: the cooperation between the US-led West and Iran was downgraded and the Arab countries were supposed to enter a new age of regional integration and peace. As of September 2024, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) appears unwilling to recognize Israel as a state unless the Palestinian State is recognized by Israel (and potentially by its allies) and the overall American-led plan for the region’s future is challenged by the perspectives of a wider regional conflict, highly biased opinions about the future Middle East security architecture, as well as by systematically competing visions that might reshape global aspirations and decision-making. This article analyses various perspectives of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional integration, which through the Abraham Accords may be potentially understood as an American-driven regional integration proposal, the solidity of this endeavour in the broader regional landscape, and potential challenges in expanding and implementing such a regional plan.

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