US President Donald Trump poses with Gulf leaders and officials during the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh on May 14, 2025. (Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
As a Lebanese citizen who has lived through the long, exhausting pendulum of this region’s politics, from fleeting hopes to crushing letdowns, I never imagined I’d see the map of the Middle East being redrawn not in Tel Aviv, not in Washington, but in Riyadh. Yet, that is what happened when U.S. President Donald Trump took the stage at the Saudi-American Investment Forum and delivered praise that went far beyond protocol. What he offered was not just admiration; it was a geopolitical endorsement: Saudi Arabia is no longer just a player; it’s the new center of gravity. Read more Why does MBS need Erdogan now? That wasn’t just a figure of speech. Trump didn’t visit Israel. He bypassed it entirely: politically, symbolically and strategically, at least for now. And whether we like or dislike Trump, in this region, skipping Tel Aviv is...
As a Lebanese citizen who has lived through the long, exhausting pendulum of this region’s politics, from fleeting hopes to crushing letdowns, I never imagined I’d see the map of the Middle East being redrawn not in Tel Aviv, not in Washington, but in Riyadh. Yet, that is what happened when U.S. President Donald Trump took the stage at the Saudi-American Investment Forum and delivered praise that went far beyond protocol. What he offered was not just admiration; it was a geopolitical endorsement: Saudi Arabia is no longer just a player; it’s the new center of gravity. Read more Why does MBS need Erdogan now? That wasn’t just a figure of speech. Trump didn’t visit Israel. He bypassed it entirely: politically, symbolically and strategically, at least for now. And whether we like or dislike Trump, in this region, skipping Tel...
