Trump’s return bodes both continuity and disruption for fragile Middle East
During his previous term in office, President-elect Trump repeatedly sought to extract US troops from the Middle East, often in a chaotic manner, while shortcutting Washington's traditional policy processes.
This is an excerpt from Security Briefing, Al-Monitor's weekly newsletter covering defense and conflict developments in the Middle East. To get Security Briefing in your inbox, sign up here.
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s tenure as the United States' 45th commander-in-chief was marked by erratic swings in policy, rapid turnovers of top advisers through resignations and firings, alienating international allies and pursuing cordial personal relations with autocrats and dictators.
In response, his successor Joe Biden ran his 2016 campaign on promises to restore and expand US alliances and the integrity of government institutions, and to pursue a foreign policy based on human rights.
While Biden’s stance aimed to placate Democrats in Congress and rekindle European and Asian buy-in for US leadership, it also chilled Washington’s strategic ties with key Arab nations in the Persian Gulf. It took the Biden administration well over a year to clearly articulate a cohesive Middle East policy. By then it was nearly too late.
