Trump’s Middle East Strategy Is Bold—And It’s Working

At a time when many American leaders are struggling to articulate a coherent vision for the Middle East, President Donald Trump is charging ahead with one. To critics, including many in the Jewish community, his recent moves—from lifting sanctions on Syria to making overtures to Qatar and proposing a redevelopment of Gaza—appear impulsive and potentially dangerous. But these arguments are short-sighted, failing to consider the complicated realities and power games of the Middle East, which the president intuitively grasps much better than his inept predecessors.

In reality, Trump’s moves in the Middle East are strategic maneuvers on a much broader chessboard, following a strategy that prioritizes American leverage, redefines regional alliances, and unapologetically advances peace through strength.

Take the president’s approach to Syria, for example. In a move that shocked many onlookers, Trump became the first American president in decades to meet with a Syrian head of state, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The U.S. subsequently announced the end of longstanding economic sanctions on Syria—prompting predictable outrage from the usual corners. But what those critics won’t tell you is that the sanctions had long ceased to be effective. Instead of crippling the regime, they weakened and punished average people suffering under Assad’s brutality—and simply pushed the leader into the open arms of Iran, deepening the deadly circle of terror around Israel.

By scaling the sanctions back in exchange for new conditions, including a demand that Syria expel Iran-aligned foreign militants and assist in dismantling the remnants of ISIS, Trump is simply acknowledging the reality that familiar moves from the usual geopolitical playbook have not yielded meaningful results. Instead, through reengaging with Syria, Trump is using a different form of negotiation to isolate Iranian influence in the Levant—and hopefully fracture the well-funded Shi’a crescent wreaking havoc in the region.

Speaking of state sponsors of terror, some of the fiercest criticisms of Trump’s regional strategy are directed at his recent economic overtures toward Qatar. During his recent visit to Doha, Trump finalized a $200 billion Boeing aircraft deal, which is one of the largest defense and commercial aviation orders in recent history. He has also floated the idea of joint infrastructure projects with Qatar across the Middle East, especially in areas like Gaza that have been destroyed by conflict—and are in desperate need of bold new visions for redevelopment after decades and decades of cyclical failure.

It’s easy to flinch at these headlines—after all, Qatar’s ties to Hamas and other terror groups are well-documented. But it’s important to understand these negotiations as part of the same bold new diplomatic strategy—walking into the fire, shaking hands, and making deals. Economic alignment with Qatar, whether it be for buying American jets or rebuilding Gaza, is not a blanket evil. In fact, under the right conditions, it can create a partnership that pressures the wealthy Arab nation to use its money towards aims that further American values and interests.

If Qatar is economically entangled with the United States—and when they’re investing in rebuilding the Middle East, not burning it—suddenly their behavior changes. Suddenly, they have more to lose. That’s not appeasement. That’s accountability. It just requires the appropriate strength and resoluteness from Trump to ensure that the money is not used to further hostile foreign interests—but the president has shown every sign of being able to deal with these nations with a backbone and an iron fist.

That is why the angry mobs baying that the president’s moves will endanger Israel should hold their fire. All these moves are designed to reinstate the “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran—Israel’s greatest and truest enemy in that region—by isolating them diplomatically and economically and using American power to drive wedges between them and their formerly reliable allies.

Lifting sanctions in exchange for Syria cutting ties with Iran, brokering deals with Qatar that demands them to become stakeholders in regional peace, and maintaining an uncompromising posture that Iran compromises with nuclear deals? These are all steps towards cutting back the Islamic Republic’s influence in the region and resetting the chessboard, and even if it might feel scary to watch a new strategy unfold, these steps are absolutely good for Israel’s future regional security.

While critics tweet angrily and suggest the same failed strategies, Trump is building a new map of the Middle East. He’s using a framework based on leverage, trade, and influence—not lectures from Washington and billion-dollar aid packages to terrorists. If you want to shift a region that’s been stuck in cycles of bloodshed for 75 years, you don’t do it by boycotting the bad actors. You do it by forcing them to choose: investment or isolation. Growth or violence. Partnership or pariah status. His pivot may be uncomfortable, but it’s rooted in outcomes, not optics.

And maybe that’s just what this region needs.

Dr. Sheila Nazarian is a MMM Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Assistant Professor, USC.