- Trump will be judged on his Mid-east policy
By: Abdul Rahman Malik
The Trump Administration has been playing with fire in the Middle East as its flawed Middle East Policy has wreaked havoc in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Palestine Ever since President Donald Trump announced the moving of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, thus recoginising it as the capital of Israel.
Given this flawed and impractical policy, after the announcement of the peace plan, the Middle East is bracing for a serious crisis due to bad advice of those aiming to establish US hegemony in Iraq, Syria, Libya and support Israel in its bid to grab more land from Palestine.
Trump has so messed up policy that he is under fire both within and outside the USA, owing to his policy towards the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, especially over mediation in the Kashmir issue between nuclear neighbours India and Pakistan, and Afghanistan where the USA had to initiate dialogue with the Taliban, once branded terrorists.
Even the Lebanon crisis has also become critical as protests against the corrupt US-backed government continue against the new government, which protesters say is controlled by the same corrupt parties, so they cannot expect anything from them. Moreover, Russia’s involvement in the presidential election and the Ukrainian imbroglio prompted Democrats to impeach Trump for riskig US national interests. According to some Democrats, Trump’s decisions have invited severe criticism for the USA worldwide.
Trump may be ranked as the worst ever US President, but his aggressive foreign relations still matter. This year will be decisive as Trump is facing both impeachment and an election. His future depends on whether he survives the impeachment or not or gets re-elected despite his perilous foreign policy
Advisers, especially those supported by the pro-Israel lobby, have pushed Trump to escalate tensions with Iran since Iran is a strong supporter of Palestine and her proxies are actively working in the Palestine liberation movement. Diplomatic tensions escalated over the recent assassination of General Qassem Suleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad. Political pundits and the analysts termed the incident a great blunder since it brought Iran’s dissenting voices together on the same page.
The Protests compelled the Iraqi Parliament to pass a resolution against the US and Allied forces as the US drone strike had infringed upon the sovereignty of Iraq and was also a violation of international law. The recent protests confirm in Iraq that the assassination was a historical blunder that has risked US interests in Iraq.
The impeachment will make it very difficult for his re-election race this year given the allegations against him. The decisions that will cost him include his unilateral withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement that was signed when Syria was battered by civil war. Ever since Syria has been in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. Trump did not end it, but like a Marathon race, the USA forwarded the baton to Turkey to carry out the blood-stained job of continuing the offensive against ISIS. Syria will take years to rebuild after the Arab Spring that devastated the very fabric of so many Arab countries.
Security and foreign policy experts believe the crisis has been caused by Middle-Eastern oil reserves, such as in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Iran. The USA had entered Iraq and Afghanistan for so-called regime change, and had been there for the last 20 years but there seems to be no improvement. The situation worsened when ISIS entered Iraq and other countries of the Middle East, making the already fragile states face a serious security crisis.
The USA’s announcement to provide security to Saudi Arabia was compromised when Yemen attacked it. Trump abruptly blamed Iran, but the sensible Iranian leadership rejected US claims. Even Saudi Arabian and Iranian relations are poor as both countries have differences over sectarian issues, Saudi Arabia being Sunni and Iran has a Shiite majority.
The elements are using this sectarian divide to engage them in confrontation but the efforts of some pro-peace states have prevented a possible War between these two Muslim countries.
Furthermore, President Trump’s sudden decision to abandon the nuclear deal with Iran and arms treaties with Russia has been counterproductive as Iran has restarted its uranium enrichment plants and Russia is resetting its footprint in the Middle East and Africa as US forces leave Syria, leaving a vacuum that was filled by Russia and Turkey.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement was signed by US President Barrack Obama and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani in 2015. Iran had agreed to limit its nuclear plan, and in return, all tough economic sanctions imposed against her were to be lifted. That was a win-win agreement, though Iran had to sacrifice its bid to become a nuclear power.
Trump’s advisers came with with a plan to escalate the situation with Iran so that the USA came into conflict with Iran. Trump scrapped the JCPOA, just releasing both countries to do as they wished. Iran and other countries are waiting for this year’s presidential election outcome to decide their future course of action with the USA under a Democrat President if Trump loses.
Another illogical Trump was declaring Jerusalem the Eternal Capital of Israel as well as recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. They stirred serious consequences as Palestinians protested and criticized the Trump Administration for being illogical and irresponsible.
Most of the foreign policy experts are of the view the flawed Mid-East policy is whimsical, and Trump is playing with fire that may become a holocaust for the region, as even the recent peace plan has no clear vision that may reflect the possible solution for the Middle East or NY efforts aimed at bringing peace in the Middle East.
Everybody is aware that Jerusalem is the holy city for Christians, Muslims and Jews at the same time. It cannot be controlled or dominated under the Two-State Solution. Moreover, East Jerusalem was to become the Capital of the Palestinian Territory.
While addressing the UN, Turkish President Recep Tayyab Erdogan had displayed maps of ancient Palestine and how Israel gradually acquired the land by expanding its boundaries illegally.
Furthermore, the UN has also affirmed that Israel has no legitimate right to control the Golan Heights, annexed from Syria in 1967, or the West Bank, but Israel has been violating the international law blatantly. Trump has been under pressure from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and Christian fundamentalists influencing his Mid-east policy that has supported Israel’s unilateral move to occupy Jerusalem.
These policy failures are causing too much damage to US foreign Policy and tarnishing the image of the US in the Mid-east where protests have begun and the demands are echoing that the USA should end its tumultuous siege of the Middle East and withdraw its forces, especially from Iraq, Syria and Libya, where the US military and allies went for regime change and defeating ISIS, but instead of stabilizing these states have further destabilized them. Currently, there is no government in these states.
Trump has alienated the African countries. He did not play any role in resolving the Kashmir Dispute between India and Pakistan. Despite a lockdown of 170 days, Kashmir still awaits a global response to exert pressure on India to lift over the curfew in Kashmir. Despite offering mediation, he did nothing to de-escalate the tension between the two hostile nations. Pakistan has been frequently asked by the USA to “do more” but has done nothing for Pakistan in resolving the Kashmir dispute and removing Pakistan from the FATF grey list despite Trump’s promises to Pakistan’s PM, and despite a reminder in Davos.
On the other hand, Pakistan has done a lot for the USA by bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table. Even the recent Pakistani efforts for a US-Iran de-escalation are noteworthy.
Even Trump’s much-trumpeted Meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un has also ended in smoke, since there was no breakthrough or headway after three rounds of talks.
Trump may be ranked as the worst ever US President, but his aggressive foreign relations still matter. This year will be decisive as Trump is facing both impeachment and an election. His future depends on whether he survives the impeachment or not or gets re-elected despite his perilous foreign policy.
