Dr. F. Gregory Gause, III, today’s guest, is Head of the International Affairs Department at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and holds the John H. Lindsey Chair 44’. Given his vast expertise in the international politics of the Middle East, Dr. Gause accompanies the host through the troubled history of the Middle East and America’s role in shaping the region, dating back to the end of the Second World War, representing the initiation of substantive American influence in the area. The Middle East is as much a conundrum as it is widely apparent in academic, policy and media discourses in the United States. No discussion about the Middle East is complete or even imaginable without talking about oil interests Israel and the Cold War. The nexus between these three sets the historical stage for this talk, which moves forward in touching upon crucial events in the often-antagonistic relationship between US and the Middle East such as the Iranian Revolution, the Gulf wars, 9/11 and the current events in Syria and the spread of ISIS. Fast forwarding to present day US policy towards the Middle East the host and guest discuss a piece written by Dr.Gause on President Trump’s policy towards the region vis a vis President Obama’s approach. Given the rich dynamics of the past and the present between the United States and the Middle East, what should we expect from future administrations?