Arkadiy Yarmolenko via Shutterstock
Analysis by Josh Paul examining the legal requirement for the US to maintain Israel's "Qualititative Military Edge" (QME) in the Middle East, arguing that the policy has led to increasing destabilizing Israeli military action and ultimately undermines US strategic interests in the region. In the context of Trump's November 2025 announcement of F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia, the piece tracks the origins of QME under the Reagan administration, how QME limits arms sales to Arab states, and how it is used as leverage by the Israeli government. Paul argues that the QME requirement serves Israeli interests at the expense of US regional strategy, fuels arms races, and makes a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict less likely. Meaningful for research on US military aid to Israel, US-Israel relations, and regional military asymmetries.
