抖阴短视频

LONDON: Defying almost all election predictions, Donald Trump, or 鈥淎bu Ivanka鈥� as he is commonly known in the region, has secured what he has called a 鈥減owerful mandate鈥� to form the next US administration, with massive implications not just for domestic politics but for the international community, including the Middle East.

Since his election victory was confirmed on Wednesday, messages of congratulations have flooded in from Arab capitals, buoyed by the opportunities for deeper strategic cooperation that a second Trump presidency likely has in store for the region.

抖阴短视频鈥檚 King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated Trump in separate cables on Wednesday, with King Salman praising the 鈥渉istorically close (bilateral) relations that everyone seeks to strengthen and develop in all fields.鈥�

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan sent his 鈥渟incere congratulations鈥� to Trump in a message on X, saying: 鈥淭he UAE looks forward to continuing to work with our partners in the US towards a future of opportunity, prosperity, and stability for all.鈥�

Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani posted on X that he looks 鈥渇orward to working together again to strengthen our strategic relationship and partnership.鈥�

Egypt also welcomed the result, with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi posting on social media: 鈥淲e look forward to working together in bringing and maintaining regional peace and stability and bolstering the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States.鈥�

While almost all of the national polls had placed Vice President Kamala Harris ahead in the race to succeed President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, there were clear signs that ethnic minority voters were beginning to turn their backs on the Democrats 鈥� among them Arab Americans.

An Arab News-YouGov poll conducted in October showed that Biden鈥檚 stance on Israel and the war in Gaza had contributed to the alienation of Arab American voters, leading a slim majority of those surveyed to say they would be voting for the Republicans in several swing states.

Some 45 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for Trump, while 43 percent said they would opt for Harris, despite the fact that 40 percent of those polled described themselves as Democrats, 28 percent as Republicans, and 23 percent as independents.

Although Trump was perceived as being more supportive of Israel than Harris, many Arab Americans indicated in the poll that they would still vote for him. Those predictions appear to have played out, with Arab American voters in the swing state of Michigan, for instance, voting for Trump in huge numbers, helping tip the result against the Democrats.

Trump won 42.5 percent of Dearborn鈥檚 vote, compared to 36 percent for Kamala Harris, officials reported. Green Party candidate Jill Stein won 18 percent.

鈥淭he reason for this seismic paradigm shift in the Arab American and Muslim voting electorate is because they responded to President Trump鈥檚 message of peace,鈥� Oubai Shahbandar, a former defense intelligence officer and Middle East analyst with the Pentagon, told Arab News.

鈥淭hey responded to President Trump鈥檚 outreach to these communities, which was spearheaded by his foreign policy envoy Richard Grenell. It was a message of peace. It was a message of inclusion. They brought in Muslim American community leaders and imams like Belal Alzuhairi, like Amer Ghalib, like Bill Bazzi, and the strategy has paid off.

鈥淚t was also a rejection by the Arab American and Muslim American or Middle Eastern community of the past four years of failed Biden-Harris policies, both domestically and when it comes to the foreign policy 鈥� a foreign policy that was widely viewed by these communities as enabling the mass killings of Muslims and Arabs across the Middle East.

鈥淎nd there was a desire for real change, a new way forward. And the numbers speak for themselves. Muslim Americans and Arab Americans wanted President Trump back in the White House.鈥�

Born in 1946 in New York, Trump was a prominent businessman and media personality before going on to serve as president between 2017 and 2021. His political career began in 2015 when he ran for the Republican Party nomination promising immigration reform, trade renegotiation, and a tough stance against Iran.

He won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton with a focus on 鈥淎merica First鈥� policies, which included tax cuts, deregulation, and shifting foreign policy. However, his presidency was marked by polarizing actions, including his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, two impeachment trials, and often divisive rhetoric on migration, abortion rights, and democracy.

When Trump enters the White House for the second time on Jan. 20, his in-tray will be stacked high with pressing issues jostling for attention, from the cost-of-living crisis and border controls, which were clearly top priorities for US voters, to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon.

鈥淭rump鈥檚 victory exceeded expectations and could prove historic,鈥� Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Middle East Institute, told Arab News.

鈥淚f they also win the House, this might be the first time Republicans control all branches of government since World War One. It ushers in an era where America lurches decisively to the right.鈥�

If Trump鈥檚 second term is anything like his first, tectonic shifts can be expected on foreign policy 鈥� shaped by a blend of 鈥淎merica first鈥� isolationism and his aggressive deal-making style, designed to disengage the US from 鈥渢he endless wars,鈥� break costly stalemates, and promote American business interests over foreign rivals.

鈥淭he Trump foreign policy tent includes both foreign policy hawks and isolationists,鈥� said Maksad. 鈥淲e will need to watch closely to determine who will come to dominate in key foreign policy appointments. Figures like Grenell or Mike Pompeo and Tom Cotton.鈥�

While many people in the Arab world are wary of Trump鈥檚 close ties to Israel鈥檚 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, others view him as an ally in the effort to rein in Iran-backed militia groups since the killing of the Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

After Trump鈥檚 2016 election victory, his first overseas visit as president was to Riyadh, where in May 2017 he held bilateral talks with the Saudi government and two multilateral meetings with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other Arab and Muslim countries.

In an interview with Al Arabiya in October, Trump said the US-抖阴短视频 relationship 鈥渨as great with capital letters. G-R-E-A-T, great鈥� when he was in the White House and that the crown prince is 鈥渁 great guy.鈥�

鈥�(I have) so much respect for the king and so much respect for Mohammed who is doing so great,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a real visionary, he鈥檚 done things that nobody else would have even thought about.鈥�

Trump鈥檚 previous administration strengthened the military and economic capacities of 抖阴短视频 and other Gulf states, notably through a boost in trade, support for their regional ambitions, and a hardline stance against Iran, including his withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

鈥淭errible news for Tehran,鈥� Mohammed A. Salih, a non-resident senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute鈥檚 Middle East Program, said in a thread on X on Wednesday, responding to Trump鈥檚 election win.

鈥淓xpect a renewed maximum pressure campaign, sanctions against Tehran, and an increased likelihood of Israeli strikes within Iran against strategic sites, especially with Iran鈥檚 air defense now immensely weakened.鈥�

A new Trump presidency is also likely to be bad news for Yemen鈥檚 Iran-backed Houthi militia, as it will likely come under further regional pressure and a stronger military campaign by the US and Israel in the wake of its attacks on Red Sea shipping in solidarity with Hamas.

The picture is unclear on Gaza, however, where Israel has been at war with Palestinian militant groups since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Likewise in Lebanon, where Israel is at war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, the implications of a Trump win are uncertain.

While Trump is known as a staunch supporter of Israel, having recognized Jerusalem as Israel鈥檚 capital and moved the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv during his last presidency, he also showed a determination to find a solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The previous Trump administration brokered the Abraham Accords in 2020, which established diplomatic and economic ties between Israel and Arab states including the UAE and Bahrain by decoupling normalization from recognition of Palestinian statehood.

His return to the White House could see the revival of the Abraham Accords and the drive toward Arab-Israeli normalization, which many had written off in the wake of the Gaza war. He has also pledged to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon on day one of his presidency but has not outlined what a solution might look like for the Palestinian people.

鈥淭rump will try to bring the wars in Gaza and Lebanon to a close, pressure Iran, and push forward on normalization,鈥� said Maksad.

鈥淗owever, his ability to deliver might be limited by the agency of local actors and the complexity of Israeli politics. There is also uncertainty about whether a Republican president can get enough Democrats in the Senate to approve a defense treaty with 抖阴短视频, a crucial part of any pathway towards normalization.鈥�

Although Trump鈥檚 victory is likely to be viewed in Europe and perhaps China as ushering in a period of unpredictability, Middle Eastern leaders are likely to welcome a return to a more transactional relationship with Washington 鈥� one that is shaped by mutual trade and security interests without perceived interference in their domestic affairs.

鈥淭rump鈥檚 victory will support His Highness the Crown Prince鈥檚 vision in the region for the benefit of all,鈥� Saudi commentator Mohammed Al-Mubarak posted on X. 鈥淓ven global companies, especially American ones, will have an active role in this renaissance.鈥�