Trump’s Middle East fans get caught up in global blowback

Political leaders from Israel to Saudi Arabia are quickly finding out that siding with Trump comes at a price.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to impose tighter vetting of travelers entering the United States, at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2017. The executive order signed by Trump imposes a four-month travel ban on refugees entering the United States and a 90-day hold on travelers from Syria, Iran and five other Muslim-majority countries. Picture taken January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSXWM6
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order to impose tighter vetting of travelers entering the United States, at the Pentagon in Washington, Jan. 27, 2017. - REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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Julian Pecquet
@JPecquet_ALM
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Middle East leaders who just days ago were cheering the inauguration of someone who appeared to share their worldview are getting rattled by the worldwide blowback against Donald Trump’s hard-edged policies.

Top officials from Israel to Saudi Arabia more or less openly welcomed the departure of Barack Obama, who they saw as too accommodating toward Iran and too friendly to revolutionaries upending the region. Their warm embrace of Trump, however, is creating its own set of problems amid an unprecedented global backlash against the new president just 10 days into his administration.

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