> The US can't even win a war in the middle east without NATO

That is false. The US could win a war in the middle east without NATO.

The US has consistently chosen not to attempt to do so, but there is every reason to think they could. It is good that the US mostly tries to work with NATO on the middle east (and bad that Trump has not).

The US has also consistently chosen to send minimal ground forces, and when they do send them they are very careful to protect the lives of their soldiers at the expense of winning.

However there remains every reason to think the US could make different decisions and win wars in the middle east alone.