Trump's policy reversal

American policy toward the Middle East during the second Trump Administration has taken a remarkable shift since former President Joe Biden left office. But even though a change in policies was always expected, the harsh turn that Trump 2.0 has taken has still been surprising.

While his supporters and opponents all can agree that President Donald Trump has emphasised overtly transactional ties with various countries, even Republicans are questioning the extreme policy shift, noting that Trump is stepping away from some of his country's and his party's most well-established positions.

A notable change has been regarding Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords. The Biden Administration had tried to tie acceptance of the accords — US-brokered agreements for Middle Eastern states to open diplomatic ties with Israel — with economic and military assistance in a continuation of the Trump Administration's policies.

But the new Trump administration seems to have even less interest in working towards these established goals and is more focused on Trump's personal relationships, prioritising business interests over longstanding diplomatic protocols, such as with the controversial proposed presidential plane deal with Qatar.

On a policy level, Trump appears to have given Saudi Arabia a huge concession on the Abraham Accords, saying the kingdom can "do it on [its] own time". Several reports at the time of the Abraham Accords signings had suggested the Saudis were amenable to signing, as long as certain preconditions were met.

Israeli atrocities — still ongoing — in response to the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, forced the negotiations to the shelf, but since then, Saudi diplomats have also confirmed that the creation of a Palestinian state would bring them back to the table.

Trump has also seemingly cooled in his love affair with Israel, skipping the country during his trip to the region and taking a slightly tougher tone.

Meanwhile, his cautious suggestion of a nuclear deal with Iran is not only a 180-degree turn for himself, but will also offend the Israelis. Unfortunately, the unpredictability of Trump's policymaking means that every policy could see another about-face within a matter of days.