The latest from President Trump’s visit to the Middle East

President Trump’s visit to the Middle East marks the first major foreign trip of his second term. That he chose meetings with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and representatives from the surrounding nations over America’s more established allies should not be overlooked. 

To be sure, the economics of a proposed $600 billion deal with Saudi Arabia, including the sale of nearly $142 billion worth of weapons, and the chance to establish a more open market with the other countries in the region are not insignificant. However, the political opportunities of closer ties with nations that have often—and for good reason—been kept at arm’s length in the past could be the most important part of the President’s trip. 

In a speech on Tuesday, Trump told a gathering of political and business leaders that “Some of the closest friends of the United States of America are nations we fought wars against in generations past. And now they’re our friends and our allies.” 

While his statement fell short of declaring such alliances with those in attendance, it was a clear indication that his administration was more focused on the road ahead than on what has happened in the past. And that stance was best epitomized in Trump’s approach to Syria. 

In a speech later that day, the President announced that he would remove sanctions on the war-torn nation, noting that the sanctions served “an important function . . . But now it’s [Syria’s] time to shine.” He went on to credit Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with leading the push to open greater opportunities for the new Syrian government before meeting with Syria’s new ruler yesterday. 

Yet throughout the proceedings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, one nation was notably absent: Iran. Their exclusion is perhaps the most significant indication of what Trump and his new friends in the region are hoping to accomplish.

Isolating Iran

While Trump has, thus far, spent most of his time and energy on the nations he sees as potential friends in the days ahead, he also took time on Tuesday to call Iran “the most destructive force” in the region. He then reiterated that the US will never allow them to become a nuclear power and that rejecting that aspiration was a non-negotiable part of any deal between the nations. 

Trump doubled down on that position in a speech this morning, saying, “We’d like to see if we could solve the Iran problem in an intelligent way, as opposed to a brutal way. There’s only two: intelligent and brutal, those are the two alternatives.”

The approach did not go over well in Iran, where President Masoud Pezeshkian called Trump “naive for thinking that he can come to our region, threaten us, and hope that we back down against his demands.”

Fortunately, Trump is not alone in his approach to the nation.  

Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been rivals in the region, and both hope to eventually become the strongest Muslim power in the Middle East. And many of the other nations with whom Trump has met over the last few days are similarly dubious of Iran rising too high. 

This shared disdain could also eventually serve as the foundation for a peace with Israel. That peace is unlikely to come before the war in Gaza is concluded, but many of these nations “appreciate Israel’s actions in Lebanon” and elsewhere as their war with Iran has dramatically weakened the latter’s reputation and strength. 

Given that the Middle East functions as “a major fulcrum between the West and China,” making it seem as though America’s greatest rivals bet on the wrong horse in backing Iran could help convince the remaining powers to partner with America when forced to choose a side. The manner in which Trump reinforced that a partnership would ultimately be their choice could further help the decision.

No more “lectures on how to live”

One of the more controversial aspects of the President’s speeches across the last few days has been the dramatic shift from the way America has often approached the Middle East. In Riyadh, he promised that the US was done “giving you lectures on how to live.”

Trump went on to say that “the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built. And the interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand.” Instead, he encouraged the leaders in attendance to make “your own destinies in your own way.”

He reiterated that approach in Qatar, stating, “The Gulf nations are at the forefront of creating a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Middle East.” 

If that is truly the approach that Trump will take in his negotiations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the other Gulf nations, it will be interesting to see where it leads. After all, many of these nations were under sanctions or, at the very least, seen as suspect for good reason. The rampant human rights abuses and oppression of dissent that characterize most Middle Eastern governments have, historically, been anathema to the impulses of American leaders. 

That said, it’s worth noting that the heavy hand of the government has accomplished relatively little when it comes to real and lasting change in the region. Perhaps an approach focused more on the carrot than the stick could prove more effective in building alliances and increasing our influence in the area. 

However, success will require a firm grasp on which lines cannot be crossed. The President’s promise “to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States or to help defend our allies” makes clear that at least some lines remain. 

And, as Christians, there’s an important lesson in that approach for each of us today.

Diversity without division

On a recent episode of The Denison Forum Podcast, Dr. Mark Turman, Dr. Jim Denison, and I discussed the best ways to understand the divisions that currently exist within the Body of Christ. One of the main points that kept coming up over the course of that discussion was how sometimes we make more of those divisions than we should. 

That denominations, for example, continue to exist and multiply is not necessarily a sign that we’re doing something wrong. Rather, they are often an expression of the diversity that God created and wired into us. At their best, they exist to provide the opportunity for people to worship the Lord in whatever way draws them closest to their heavenly Father.

The problem comes when that diversity prevents us from working together to further God’s kingdom and advance his will on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). 

Now, such an approach doesn’t mean ignoring our differences or treating them as inconsequential. As I said on the podcast, just because something is not essential to the gospel does not mean it’s not important. 

But one of Christ’s final prayers before going to the cross was that we would be one, and that gets hard to do when we draw different lines than God does when it comes to who we are willing to partner with in ministry (John 17). 

Whether it’s the church across town or the person across the room, be open to the Spirit’s prompting when he presents you with an opportunity to join with others in the work of the kingdom. While there are lines we cannot afford to cross, Scripture is pretty clear as to what those are—anything that would compromise the divinity of Christ, the necessity of his sacrifice, or the efficacy of his salvation, for example—and God doesn’t need our help in creating new ones. 

So, where has he called you to work today? Is there someone you know who shares that call? Are there any reasons you’re hesitant to partner with them to better accomplish God’s will? 

In a culture as divided as our own, demonstrating that what unites us is more important can be one of the most effective ways to show the power of God’s love in our lives.

Where can you show that power today?

Quote of the day:

“What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together because they have all been loved by Jesus himself. They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.” — D. A. Carson

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