Exactly. We could abandon the Middle-East entirely and still be a superpower. All that trying to police that region does is get people killed, consume tons of resources better used elsewhere, and engender hatred in most people of that region. I mean we’ve been in Afghanistan longer than Vietnam and have just as little to show for it.
Personally, as far as the Middle East is concerned, take our troops out and give Israel a whole bunch of the best weapons we have. Let them take out the trash.
Maybe give them some top cover, but otherwise, it is their neighborhood, they can be the policeman.
Unfortunately our depended on trade with many other putative free and democratic regimes depends on THEM having access to Gull Oil. Whoever controls the Gulf allows or prevents oil from reaching our allies.
Perhaps we should be charging Japan et al for this policing action (or have them send their own Navy...) but total retreat is not an option.
As for Afghanistan et al, I and many others have advocated for decades that we should have done to the muslim Middle East on 9/12 what we did to Japan and Germany in WW2:
nuke some and flatten the rest.
Anyone alive after who wants to eat can take dejihadification classes or starve.