TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsMiddle East politics and the hazards of the US' principled realism
Trump’s current foreign policy on the Middle East is not only driven by military might, but it is determined by technology, investment and transactional pragmatism.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right), accompanied by United States President Donald Trump (center), attends a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on July 7 in Washington, DC. (AFP/Getty Images/Andrew Harnik)
M
iddle East politics is still heading toward an unclear direction, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to the White House and his talk with United States President Donald Trump regarding the planned “60 days ceasefire”.
The talks did not achieve significant results. As predicted by many observers, such a ceasefire is not only fragile, but it could fail. For Netanyahu, his visit to Washington was intended to secure full support from Trump for Israel’s security in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Trump considers that Netanyahu is his trusted ally for securing US’ political interests in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, the world still expects anxiety with such a fragile ceasefire, which could lead to a new war. As Netanyahu was still meeting with Trump, Israel reportedly killed 98 Palestinians in Gaza. Netanyahu is basically reluctant to commit to a ceasefire. The New York Times reported on July 11 that Netanyahu wished to extend the war due to domestic political pressure and in an attempt to secure his power.
During the meeting at the White House, Netanyahu presented a letter nominating Trump to be selected as a Nobel Peace Prize winner. “President Trump has demonstrated and dedicated his efforts to promoting peace, security and stability around the world”, he wrote to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Yet, such a letter has created a cynical logic. Indeed, Trump himself has a dream to be selected for the Nobel Prize. However, as Mohamad Bazzi, professor of journalism from New York University argued, “If Trump truly wants a shot at winning the Noble prize, he would first need to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.”
Meanwhile, after declaring a “victory lap” on Iran with Netanyahu, Trump stated that he would “absolutely” consider bombing Iranian nuclear sites again if it is necessary to do so. Trump felt humiliated after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei declared “victory” after Iranian strikes on the US military base in Qatar. Trump and Netanyahu have also proposed “regime change” in Iran, although Khamenei declared that “Trump is a liar and the enemy of God [...] and Iran will never surrender”.
