March 23, 2025.
During the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century, the Middle East has remained a key area of focus for American foreign policy makers, marked by a complicated and often tense relationship with the region. Following the end of Ottoman rule after the First World War, President Woodrow Wilson advocated for Arab self-determination, aiming to limit British and French imperialism in the Middle East and North Africa. After the end of the Second World War, the U.S and its allies viewed the Middle East through the lens of Cold War geopolitics, often engaging in indirect and covert actions to counter Soviet and communist influence. It was also at this time that the U.S began to realize the importance of the oil-rich region. However, it wasn’t until the turn of the century that the United States would completely change domestic affairs in the Middle East, altering how many Muslims view the United States. After the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City, President George W Bush and his Administration began the global War on Terror, invading Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. The perpetrators of the attacks were Islamic extremist group al-Queda, who at the time were based in Afghanistan. However, the Bush administration invaded Iraq on the false pretense that Saddam Hussien possessed weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorist, neither were true. This decision, heavily by the motives of Vice President Dick Chaney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, proved to be a massive failure and only destabilized Iraq. The U.S coalition quickly became a catastrophic failure, as the absence of Saddam and his military created a power vacuum which led to the rise of various extremist militant groups, fueling a violent sectarian civil war and insurgency. Furthermore, the domestic instability provided an opening which led to the rise of al-Queda in Iraq and the Islamic State a decade later. In the wake of this disastrous war, Bush’s successors are faced with an incredibly difficult task: rebuilding and establishing positive relations with a hostile and destabilized region.
In the aftermath of the war, the various administrations that followed have approached the Middle East with varying strategies. Obama began his term by working to rebuild relations and apologize for U.S intervention in the Middle East. On the other hand, Biden took a more isolationist position, withdrawing all U.S troops from Afghanistan in August of 2021. However, analyzing President Trumps approach and foreign policy strategy during his first term and the beginning of his second is crucial to understanding what lies in the future for U.S and Middle East relations.
Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump foreign policy in the Middle East has been a unique, effective, and rash one, being defined by transactional diplomacy and a willingness to challenge existing U.S norms regarding Middle Eastern relations. His first term consisted of aims to strengthen U.S alliances, particularly with Israel and the Gulf states, while at the same time countering Iran and their proxies. The policies he pursued during his first administration were largely designed to increase U.S security interests and prioritize economic opportunities, partnerships, and interests. Trumps first administration also focused heavily on countering and eliminating various terrorist groups like the Islamic State, which saw its territorial height during the same year of Trumps election.
Donald Trump began his first term in 2017 by proclaiming a potential transactional relationship with the Middle East, aligning with his America first stance. In this partnership the U.S would sell weapons to its Middle Eastern allies, particularly the oil-rich Arab states. Through this the U.S would also assist in countering both Islamic extremist groups and Iranian influence. Drawing on the costly U.S invasion of Iraq in 2003, Trump also aimed to place limits on the number of resources spent and commitments made in the region. During the course of his first term, Trump followed through with these commitments and carried out numerous policy decisions which had a significant impact on the Middle East.
Shortly into his first term, Trump made the decision to move the U.S embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, officially recognizing the city as the Israeli capital and disregarding the two-state solution. This decision was praised by Israeli officials but was widely condemned by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the governing body in the West Bank, and a portion of the international community. One of Trumps most significant policy moves was his withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or known by the acronym, JCPOA, in 2018. This decision signaled a shift in U.S-Iranian relations, as the withdrawal saw the resurgence of U.S sanctions against Iran. Trumps justification for this was that the deal was to lenient and failed to address issues like Iran’s support for its militant proxies. The withdrawal from the Iran deal gives insight into Trumps increasing animosity towards the Iranian regime and the actions it is currently taking against its proxies. However, towards the end of Trumps first term tensions were heightened following the U.S led assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in January of 2020. One of Trumps successes in his region during his first term was position he took on dealing with the Islamic State. Under Trump, the U.S continued to strike and destroy IS cells in Iraq and Syria. In 2019 U.S special forces conduced a raid which led to the death of IS leader and self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. However, the most monumental and important of Trumps policies in the Middle East was the Abraham Accords. In 2020 Trump fostered and achieved a diplomatic breakthrough by normalizing relations between Israel and numerous Arab states such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Following this agreement both countries officially recognized Israels sovereignty.
Trumps foreign policy towards the Middle East consisted of decisions both supported and shunned by the international community. However, it appears as though his stance towards the Middle East in his second term is going to be much different. In 2025, Trump appears to be taking a much more aggressive and interventionist approach to foreign policy in the Middle East, sparking mass levels of controversy. It’s clear that Trump aims to strengthen the relationship between the U.S and Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. Through this Trump aims to increase confrontations and strikes on Iran’s proxies. Two months into Trumps second term, “has fractured the United States’ relationship with Europe, called into question Washington’s commitment to NATO, blamed Ukraine for Russia’s aggression, frozen military aid to Kyiv, withdrawn from key United Nations institutions, initiated a global tariff war, interrupted the global delivery of American aid and humanitarian assistance, and signaled that the United States could break the central tenet of the postwar global order—the prohibition against territorial expansion at the expense of other sovereign entities—by threatening to take control of Canada, Panama, Greenland, and Gaza.” [1]
Most notably, Trump has ordered a series of strikes against the Houthis, an Iranian proxy occupying large amounts of territory on western Yemen. Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have constantly attacked vessels and cargo ships moving through the Red Sea in retaliation to Israels military actions in Gaza. They also have frequently launched rockets into Israel. Over the past week, the United States has been striking Houthi Rebels with drone strikes, killing 53. Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth called upon the Houthis to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea or they will have no choice but continue to strike western Yemen. Following this they also put pressure on Iran and the Revolutionary Guard Corps, who fund not only the Houthis but also Hamas and Hezbollah. Trump then stated that if Iran continues to fund and support the Houthis then the U.S will refocus on countering Iran’s nuclear program. At the moment, diplomatic talks between the U.S and Iran are off the table unless the U.S changes its military operations according to Iranian foreign minister.
In February Trump stated that the U.S should take over and own the Gaza Strip, immediately sparking mass controversy. Trump said that he would turn Gaza into a ‘Middle Eastern Riveria,’ to which he later posted an artificial intelligence generated video on social media depicting the Gaza Strip as a resort and Trump with various elites such as Elon Musk and Benjamin Netanyahu. Following the end of the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has resumed bombing, leading to the deaths of over 400 people, to which Trump has not condemned any Israeli actions.
Donald Trump’s Middle East policy across both terms has been marked by bold, often controversial moves that have reshaped the region’s diplomatic landscape. While his first-term consists of various moderate and conservative actions, such as moving the U.S embassy to Jerusalem and withdrawing from the Iran deal, he also secured success in brokering deals. However, the first two months of his second term appear to more aggressive filled with radical proposals, further straining U.S relations with Iran and other states within the region.
Sources:
The Key to Understanding Trump’s Chaotic Foreign Policy
Cox, Michael, and Doug Stokes, eds. US Foreign Policy. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
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