Lord Malloch-Brown: Trump's Middle East Trip and Foreign Policy Failures

Trump's Middle East Trip Pivot

• ✈️ Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East, initially hoped to be a political visit with diplomatic successes, has pivoted to a commercial visit, potentially reflecting his own family interests.
• 🎯 This shift is seen as a measure of his failure on the political front to live up to campaign promises of ending wars and solving conflicts overnight.

Foreign Policy Alignments and Breakdowns

• 🤝 While Trump largely remains aligned with Netanyahu on critical issues like Gaza, his recent actions, such as reaching out to Iran, have been done despite Israeli objections.
• 🇦🇪 The focus on three Gulf states, excluding Israel, signifies a recognition that the Abraham Accords must take a backseat to a strengthened bilateral policy between the US and these nations due to the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Inexperience and Unrealistic Expectations

• 📉 The complexities of Middle Eastern issues are proving more entangled and difficult to solve than Trump anticipated.
• 🧑‍💼 He is surrounded by a very inexperienced team who are not adequately staffed or prepared for complex, centuries-old negotiations.

Trump's Legacy: Sound and Fury

• 💥 In his first term, lasting changes like the Abraham Accords and the pivot against China were achieved, but many other initiatives, such as peace with North Korea or removing Iran's nuclear capability, amounted to mere noise and excitement that led nowhere.
• 🧱 The current approach appears to be banging up against a wall, with a gap between the anticipated results and the actual outcomes.

Rehabilitation of Saudi Arabia

• 🇸🇦 Muhammad bin Salman (MBS) has successfully rehabilitated Saudi Arabia's international image, moving from a "rogue state" to a host of peace talks and regional initiatives.
• 🇺🇸 Ironically, three months into his term, the international community is now more suspicious of America's president than Saudi Arabia's crown prince.