June 14, 2017
How Trump’s Black and White World View Met Reality in the Middle East
It was only three weeks ago that President Donald Trump, in Riyadh, proclaimed that he had secured unprecedented unity amongst Sunni governments to fight the two scourges all the assembled 55 governments agreed were destabilizing the Middle East — Islamist extremism and Iran. That unity lasted mere days, however, as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Bahrain cut off relations with Qatar and essentially imposed a blockade on the country, which imports 40 percent of its food across its land border with Saudi Arabia.
The fierce eruption of this intra-Arab split threatens to undermine key American goals in the Middle East, at a particularly delicate moment. Trump’s swift embrace of the Saudi side in this family argument exacerbates the danger and undermines his own declared goals. The administration’s current approach has launched the United States into the middle of a slew of regional rivalries and may well exacerbate the geopolitical conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia — one with significant religious and sectarian undercurrents.
Read the full article on Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
Preventing the Next Middle East Disaster
Commentary
At play for Washington in the Middle East is the opportunity to keep Russia out of the Eastern Mediterranean, Iran’s proxy network at bay, and scale back China's ambitions in ...
By Adham Sahloul
-
Episode 6: Autonomy Now! Ukraine, Iran, China, and the “Drone” Revolution
Podcast
In this episode with Stacie Pettyjohn, program director and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, they discuss Ukraine, China, and Houthi rebels and talk to...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
-
How to Kick-start Syria’s Reconstruction
Commentary
Given that there are so many stakeholders interested in Syria’s future, it’s unlikely that all countries will agree on the best way to support its transition, but they don’t n...
By Delaney Soliday & Kate Johnston
-
Arab League Summit in Iraq Falls Short
Commentary
There are many who have argued about the insignificance of the Arab League altogether, but from an Iraqi perspective, taking on the responsibility to host it also involves tak...
By Hamzeh Hadad
