Trump resets America’s Middle East policy in surprising ways
Hawks are out and pragmatists are in, at least for now
THE SAUDIS put on plenty of pomp for Donald Trump when he visited Riyadh, their capital, this week: f-15 fighter jets to escort his plane, riders on Arab horses to accompany his motorcade, lunch in a palace with chandeliers the size of cars. But the most enduring image came from a nondescript antechamber, where on May 14th he shook hands with Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s president, a former jihadist who not long ago had a $10m American bounty on his head.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A new new beginning”
Middle East & Africa
May 17th 2025
From the May 17th 2025 edition
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Africa’s oldest surviving Catholic church is under threat
A centuries-old chapel is a testament to Christianity’s deep roots in Africa
Donald Trump bypasses Israel on the path to peace in Gaza
Binyamin Netanyahu looks increasingly isolated from his closest ally
The chimera of private finance for development
A fashionable idea has yet to fulfil its promises
Trump’s decision to lift sanctions is a triumph for Syria’s president
But Ahmed al-Sharaa badly needs to reassure minorities at home
The fight for Sudan’s skies
A drone attack on the coast heralds a new phase in the country’s civil war
A Faustian pact with the Houthis
A new American deal strengthens their grip over Yemen