Trump’s Middle East doctrine;
War or peace
By Hoda Yousefi
Mideast affairs expert
During his first term, Donald Trump’s administration took an unconventional stance in the Middle East, deviating from the well-worn path of US policy. Eschewing the traditional focus on power balance and regional stability, Trump crafted new policies: unconditional support for age-old allies, squeezing rivals to the max, and cutting back on direct military involvement. The strategy hinged on the belief that economic and military alliances between Arab nations and Israel, sans the Palestinian issue, could birth a new regional order. The Abraham Accords and the ramped-up pressure on Iran were the byproducts of this vision.
A cornerstone of Trump’s doctrine was the preference for economic and diplomatic levers over direct military interventions. The 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the ensuing “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran epitomized this tactic. Trump also aimed to nudge regional players to shoulder their security responsibilities, thus lightening the financial burden of US military presence. During his first term, Trump, wielding sanctions and economic pressure as his main tools, tried to coax Iran to the negotiating table while simultaneously propping up support for Israel unprecedentedly. With Trump’s comeback to the White House on January 20, these strategies are poised to be revived and possibly ramped up.
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