Don’t Expect Trump to Send in the Cavalry If MbS Has to Circle Wagons

Don’t Expect Trump to Send in the Cavalry If MbS Has to Circle Wagons

Whether or not he is a purveyor of “alternative facts”, Michael Wolff in Fire and Fury tries to get inside the mind of Donald Trump when working out Washington’s new Middle East foreign policy. In Wolff’s words, this is what the United States president was thinking. “There are basically four players [or at least we can forget…

Kushner and Saudi Crown Prince… the Wunderkinds Wreak Havoc

Kushner and Saudi Crown Prince… the Wunderkinds Wreak Havoc

Donald Trump’s rash declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is so out of whack with global opinion and decades of international legal rulings, one has to surmise that the initiative stems from dubious inspiration. Turns out that the likely authors of the harebrained idea are Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner (36), and 32-year-old Saudi…

The Hidden Hands Behind US Embassy Move to Jerusalem

The Hidden Hands Behind US Embassy Move to Jerusalem

Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, all-but-abandoning America’s commitment to a two-state solution, has its roots with the religious politics of Jared Kushner, Trump’s Middle East adviser and son-in-law. Kushner, a favorite of both Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and pro-Netanyahu American…

The Delusions of Washington-Riyadh Ruling Elite and the Journalists Who Feed Them

The Delusions of Washington-Riyadh Ruling Elite and the Journalists Who Feed Them

In the aftermath of Trump’s disastrous recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the spin from Washington and Riyadh–and the journalists and think tank analysts only too eager be spun–has been outrageous. The level of sheer delusion is stupendous. This post will offer an anatomy of delusion and why it means only more suffering and bloodshed…

Trump’s Scheme to Carve Up Palestine

Trump’s Scheme to Carve Up Palestine

Donald Trump never has given evidence that he has new, fresh, and promising ideas to achieve his declared objective of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. His statements on the subject can more plausibly be interpreted as another piece of braggadocio about his self-declared deal-making ability. The obstacles to an Israeli-Palestinian peace have long been painfully apparent, even…