One month of US foreign policy under Trump leaves as many questions as answers

President has upended decades of foreign policy norms in the Middle East in just 30 days

President Donald Trump has upended longstanding US policy on Gaza and Ukraine. Getty Images / AFP

President Donald Trump has been in office for a month, and in that short time has upended decades of US foreign policy towards the Middle East and left the region trying to figure out what to make of his musings.

Mr Trump, 78, has fashioned himself as a deal-making pacifist, saying in his inaugural address that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier". But his approach to ending the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine is unorthodox and threatens to damage long-standing US alliances.

Within hours of returning to office, Mr Trump signed an executive order calling for a 90-day pause on foreign funding. Since then, he has overseen Elon Musk's evisceration of the US Agency for International Development, a decades-old institution that long served as the face of American soft power in the Middle East and beyond.

This month, Mr Trump invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, the first visit by a foreign leader since the January 20 inauguration.

Standing alongside Mr Netanyahu, he left observers stunned as he proclaimed a new era of American diplomacy, saying he wanted to seize control of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a good job with it, too,” Mr Trump said. “We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”

Since then, he has repeated his comments, including during an awkward exchange with reporters in front of King Abdullah II.

Mr Trump claimed that “everyone loves” his plan for Gaza, but has not described a feasible means through which he could displace its two million residents. His claim that Egypt and Jordan will help him in no way matches reality.

Protesters gather in Amman to demonstrate against Donald Trump's proposal for the US to 'take over' the Gaza Strip. AFP

Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said Mr Trump's remarks were aimed at trying to garner the spotlight without “producing much of anything on the positive side of the ledger".

“It was a lot of sound and fury, signifying not much,” he told The National.

The Gaza comments have seen Arab nations rushing to develop an alternative plan. The Arab League is set to hold an extraordinary meeting to address Gaza on March 4. On Friday, several regional leaders will meet in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Katulis, who rated the President’s first 30 days of foreign policy harshly, said the plan to take control of the Gaza Strip and expel Palestinians is a perfect example of how Mr Trump has approached his first 30 days.

“His first month in his second term essentially got a lot of headlines,” he said. “That's what he loves to do, but being a reality-television show character is not the same as being President of the United States and because of that, I don't think he's yet set himself up or his administration for success in the region.”

Mr Katulis said Mr Trump has waffled on his approach to Iran, reluctantly signing a memorandum declaring a return to maximum pressure against Tehran, while also indicating an openness for dialogue that has left many confused as to where he stands.

“Iran remains the biggest strategic challenge and threat in the region, and we don't have any clarity a month in from which direction Trump will take things,” Mr Katulis said. “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Trump seems to indicate he's open for talks and a big deal. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he hints at the idea that maybe Israel should conduct some operations against Iran and its nuclear sites.”

That unpredictability, a hallmark of the first Trump term, continues to rankle analysts.

“There's a bit more unpredictability this time around, and perhaps less clarity on the direction the US administration is going to take, particularly on Israel, Gaza and Arab-Israeli peace,” said Merissa Khurma, director of the Middle East Programme at the Wilson Centre.

While Mr Trump has given Secretary of State Marco Rubio the task to steer US diplomacy, it is clear the White House is the driving force behind decisions pertaining to the Middle East.

Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump's longtime confidant and golfing partner, has emerged as one of the most influential forces in the administration.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. AP

The billionaire real estate investor was hailed by all sides for helping to secure the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. He has spent the last month criss-crossing the globe on behalf of Mr Trump.

“In terms of how the administration is going to carry out its policy in the region, it's likely that Trump is going to be at the centre of it,” said Ian Byrne, associate vice president at Beacon Global Strategies.

“Steve Witkoff is going to be very important, if not the most important deputy the President has in the region. And I think what comes out of Trump's mouth regarding anything Middle East-related is going to be US policy.”

That has left many in the region hanging off every word Mr Trump utters, never sure when he might attempt to dramatically reshape the regional chessboard with a seemingly off-the-cuff remark.

Mr Witkoff is also closely involved in Mr Trump's push to end the war in Ukraine. The US President has taken a critical stance against Kyiv and Europe and appears friendly towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long been regarded as a US foe.