WASHINGTON, D.C. – Three days, three countries invest hundreds of millions of dollars and geopolitical changes in the US approach to the region: Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East is eventful.
This week, the US President visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his first planning trip for his second presidency after attending Pope Francis’ funeral last month.
Trump was visibly pleased while on his trip as he secured investment, criticised domestic political rivals and praised Gulf leaders. The word “historical” has been used several times by US officials to describe the visit.
When Trump returns to the White House, there are five important takeaways from his trip:
Responsibility for interventionism
In addressing the investment summit in Riyadh, Trump promoted a realistic approach to the Middle East. This is a way in which the US does not intervene in issues in other countries.
He swiped the neoconservatives who oversaw the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This major change doesn’t come from Western intervention or flying people on beautiful planes, but gives lectures on how to live and govern your own problems,” he said.
“The sparkling marbles of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by so-called state builders, neoconservatives, or liberal nonprofits, such as those who have spent trillions of dollars in failing to develop Kabul, Baghdad and many other cities.”
Trump built his political brand with his “America First” slogan, urging the US to focus on its own issues rather than supporting or bombing foreign countries.
But his words at the investment summit marked the harsh responsibilities of the neocons who controlled Trump’s Republicans a decade ago.
“In the end, so-called state builders were destroying far more countries than they built, and interventions were intervening in complex societies that even interventionists didn’t even understand themselves,” Trump said.
Israel has been on the sidelines, but there is no solution for Gaza
It is rare for a US president to travel to the Middle East and not visit Israel, but Trump omitted US allies from his itinerary when he toured the region.
Skipping Israel was seen as a reflection of the worsening relationship between the US administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This week’s trip was also in the context of several movements that are perceived as evidence of the US alienation of Israel. The United States continued consultations with Israeli rival Iran, announcing a ceasefire with Yemeni Houtis and unilaterally negotiated to release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a US citizen, from Hamas prisoners.
Furthermore, while touring the Gulf, Trump used his remarks to not prioritize establishing formal diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
It remains unclear how Trump’s decision will affect the “special relationship” of the two allies, but experts say it’s becoming increasingly clear that the US is no longer looking at the Middle East through Israel’s lens alone.
“Is that a tactical issue for Netanyahu and the pro-Israel lobby as a whole? I think so,” Georgetown University visiting scholar Khaled Elgindi said of Trump’s change.
“It is the president who openly shows sunlight on Israeli decisions to act on it, not just rhetoric, but on it, so we throw a wrench at the machine.
As that trench emerged, some Palestinian rights advocates wanted the US president’s travel to the region to pursue a contract that would allow Washington to end Israeli war with Gaza.
But when Trump marveled at the gorgeous buildings in the Bay, Israel intensified artillery to destroy what was left of Palestinian territory.
Despite reports of ongoing consultations in Doha, no ceasefire was announced. And Israel appears to be moving forward with plans to expand its attack on Gaza as it continues to block the aid of nearly two million people in the enclave, leading to terrorism of hunger.
United Nations experts and rights groups have described this situation as a genocide.
But despite preaching “peace and prosperity” to both Israelis and Palestinians, Trump did not give him any strong impetus to end the war during this week’s trip.
On Thursday, Trump suggested he has not given up on the idea of overabunding Gaza and handing over to the US. This is a proposal that legal experts will correspond to ethnic cleansing.
“I have the concept of Gaza, so I think it’s very good. Make it a free zone,” he said. “Let the US participate and make it just a free zone.”
Lifting Syrian sanctions
In a move that surprised many observers, Trump announced from Riyadh that he would provide sanctions relief to Syria as it emerges from more than a decade of civil war.
Trump also met with interim Syrian President Ahmad Alshara and described him as a “young and attractive man.”
A wholesale lifting of sanctions was not expected due to some of Israel’s hostility towards the new Syrian authorities. Israeli officials often describe it as Alsharaa. Al-Shara explains that before cutting ties with the group, he cut off Syrian al-Qaeda branch as “terrorists.”
However, Trump said he has decided to lift economic penalties against Syria at the request of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Torkiye President Recept Tayyip Erdogan.
“I order the suspension of sanctions on Syria to give them the opportunity to greatness,” the US president said.
The White House said Wednesday that Trump has a list of Alshara’s requests, including establishing diplomatic ties with Israel and deporting “Palestinian terrorists.”
Eliminating US sanctions imposed on former President Bashar al-Assad’s government is likely to boost new Syrian authorities who have been working on the sick economy after years of conflict.
“Sansions in Syria represent a fundamental turning point,” economist Ibrahim Nafi Kushji told Al Jazeera.
“The Syrian economy could move from interaction with developing countries to integration with more developed economies, and significantly restructure trade and investment relations.”
Carrot and Iranian sticks
In Saudi Arabia, Trump has declared he wants to do business with Iran.
“We want to be a country where they have succeeded,” the US president said of Iran.
“We want them to be great, safe, great countries, but they can’t have nuclear weapons. This is an offer that will never last forever. It’s the time they make a choice.”
Trump warned Iran that if he refuses an “olive branch,” it would impose “large maximum pressure” on Tehran and suffocate oil exports.
In particular, Trump did not threaten explicit military action against Iran, a departure from his previous rhetoric. For example, in late March, he told NBC News, “If they don’t make a deal, there’s going to be bombing.”
Iran says it does not seek nuclear weapons and will welcome strict surveillance programs at nuclear facilities.
However, Israel and some Hawks want to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
We and Iranian officials have held multiple meetings this year, but Tehran says they have not received an official offer from Washington. And Trump officials have not explicitly stated what the final game of talks is.
US envoy Steve Witkov said last month that Iran “must stop and eliminate” uranium enrichment, but a few days ago he suggested that enrichment should be reduced to private energy levels.
Several Gulf countries, including the three that Trump visited this week, have welcomed nuclear negotiations as relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours have been stable in recent years.
Investments, investments, and other investments
Before entering politics, Trump was a real estate mogul who played the celebrity persona as a mega-rich deal maker. He appears to have brought that business mindset to the White House.
While in the wealthy Gulf region, Trump was among his elements. He has announced a deal to see Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates purchase US arms and invest in American companies. Trump secured a total of $2 trillion investments from the Middle East during his trip, according to the White House.
And his administration is framing the deal as a major political and economic victory for Trump.
“It took President Biden nearly four years to secure a $1 trillion investment, but President Trump achieved this in the first month and continued to have an additional investment commitment,” the White House said.
“President Trump is paving the way for a new golden age of fostering investment in America, ensuring fair trade transactions around the world, and enduring prosperity for generations to come.”