In the last 60 years, there have been many different alliances among the US, Western countries, Arab countries and Israel.
In the past 35 years, the entire focus of this continuously shifting triangle has been fighting Iran, confronting Iran, isolating Iran and weakening Iran.
The outcome of this policy is the rise of terrorism and crises in the Middle East, and a powerful and stable Iran.
ABOUT THIS SERIES: Defense News asked 15 thought leaders in military, government, academia and industry -- from Europe to Asia to the US to the Middle East -- for their perspectives on their region and how they fit into world events. The result is a comprehensive collection of viewpoints that puts 2014 into context while forecasting the challenges -- and what must be done to meet them -- in 2015.
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It's not only the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria that we are fighting today; this began over 10 years ago with the Taliban and al-Qaida. Tomorrow, we will have a more dangerous version.
We are witnessing a collapse of the Arab world with the Arab League becoming irrelevant.
Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, all major Arab powers, are either failed states or on the verge of becoming ones with their critical domestic problems.
See the other contributors to "2015 Outlook."
Even the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are vulnerable to this wave of terrorism and Takfiris, where Muslims accuse other Muslims of apostasy.
Everybody is talking about Iran and complaining about its role and influence. Therefore, everybody is confessing to the fact that 35 years of policies of this triangle have created a messy region with multiple threats where stability is in real danger.
Those policies toward Iran have failed because it is the most stable and powerful country in the region. Following the same strategy of the last three decades would only continue the deterioration we have already witnessed.
How to change the policy? The path is through US President Barack Obama's strategy of engaging Iran.
In this region, we have been facing two major rivalries between Iran and international powers: with the United States, and between the key powers Iran and Saudi Arabia.
We need to work on real engagement between Iran and the US because these two are the key players.
As long as Iranian-US hostility continues, the situation will deteriorate and lead to a failed region.
The GCC was established to undermine Iran. Today, bloc members are in dispute; the differences within the GCC equal, if not surpass, those with Iran.
Oman is the only GCC country working to bring Iran and the US closer to resolve the nuclear issue, while Saudi Arabia is doing everything in its power to prevent a deal.
This is the GCC: internal disputes, no united strategy and reliance on the US to protect them from any threats. This underscores the need for getting the regional powers to embrace engagement.
We need to create a regional cooperation system among the GCC states, Iran and Iraq. This would lead to excellent relations with NATO, the US, China and Russia.
The P5 + 1 nuclear talks have proved engagement can produce good results. They have agreed on all transparency measures based on the International Atomic Energy Agency and have agreed on restrictions such as capping nuclear enrichment at 5 percent.
Iran and the US are the leading forces in the battle against the Islamic State. While the US is leading in the air, Iran plays the leading role with the ground forces. Amid Islamic State threats, Iran and the US are playing constructive roles.
That's why I advocate a grand bargain between Iran and the US, Iran and the region, to establish a cooperative system and remove hostilities between the two big players.
