London:Â It is said that presidents enter office with grand ambitions for foreign policy, which are often sacrificed upon the altar of domestic realities. Not so with Donald Trump.
This US President has made no pretensions about his view of global affairs: America first. It is clear, however, that the President has caught something of a lucky break in the Middle East, with the stars aligning to produce the most dramatic coalition of anti-extremism partners seen since 9/11.
After nearly a decade bereft of real American leadership in the Middle East, a change in the region’s dynamics is overdue. Former president Barack Obama announced a pivot away from the Middle East and towards Asia in his first term; while this lasted about as long as the “reset” with Russia, it indicated the administration’s distaste for the sort of messy and morally ambiguous choices which define any serious foray into the Middle East.
Read the full article by Molly Kiniry at the Brisbane Times.