Trump Unveils Middle East Reset: Syria Re-engaged, Saudi Ties Amplified
President Donald Trump meets Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa and prepares for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visit, signalling a strategic shift in regional diplomacy
President Donald Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office on Monday, marking a dramatic turn in U.S. regional policy by engaging Syria as a pivotal player alongside Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
The meeting, the first such summit in more than two decades, followed Trump’s decision to lift most American sanctions on Damascus and reopen channels for reconstruction and regional cooperation.
In a closely timed follow-up, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Washington on 18 November for his first official White House engagement since 2018, during which a defence and intelligence pact is expected to be tabled.
Trump is using the twin engagements to reposition Riyadh and Damascus at the core of a new U.S. Middle Eastern architecture designed to curb Iranian and Russian influence and fortify an arc of stability stretching from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.
The Syrian engagement is especially portentous: al-Sharaa, once a militant with a U.S. bounty, now finds himself embraced as a partner in reconstruction and regional alignment.
Trump lauded him as a “strong, determined leader” while emphasising Syria’s reintegration into the global economy.
The U.S. Treasury announced a pause to Syrian sanctions for 180 days, signalling concrete steps toward normalisation and paving the way for Gulf and Western investment in a country emerging from years of isolation.
Meanwhile, the Saudi visit underscores the renewed U.S.–Saudi alliance.
During his first term, Trump secured the 2020 Abraham Accords and laid the foundation for Gulf-Israel normalization.
His administration now aims to elevate Saudi Arabia from strategic client to cornerstone partner, with a likely executive-order defence guarantee and deepening intelligence cooperation.
Riyadh, while not yet ready to normalise with Israel, views the U.S. security umbrella as the gateway to future regional influence.
From Israel’s perspective, the recalibration poses both opportunity and risk.
Jerusalem stands to benefit from diminished Iranian proxies in Syria, yet remains cautious of al-Sharaa’s extremist past and the pace of Syrian rehabilitation.
Israeli officials insist that stability in southern Syria must be secured before Syrian forces return.
On the U.S. side, Trump’s decision signals that his second-term foreign-policy vision is centred on rapid engagement, strategic deals, and expanding American influence through regional realignment rather than containment.
With Saudi Arabia and Syria aligned under Washington’s auspices, the emerging architecture could redraw Middle-East geopolitics: a pro-Western axis from the Gulf through Jordan and Syria to the Mediterranean.
While Israel remains the strategic anchor for U.S. policy, its role may shift from lead actor to tactical partner as Washington orchestrates a broader multi-state framework.
The coming weeks, particularly the MBS visit and pending deals, will test whether the recalibration is tactical or transformational.
The meeting, the first such summit in more than two decades, followed Trump’s decision to lift most American sanctions on Damascus and reopen channels for reconstruction and regional cooperation.
In a closely timed follow-up, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Washington on 18 November for his first official White House engagement since 2018, during which a defence and intelligence pact is expected to be tabled.
Trump is using the twin engagements to reposition Riyadh and Damascus at the core of a new U.S. Middle Eastern architecture designed to curb Iranian and Russian influence and fortify an arc of stability stretching from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.
The Syrian engagement is especially portentous: al-Sharaa, once a militant with a U.S. bounty, now finds himself embraced as a partner in reconstruction and regional alignment.
Trump lauded him as a “strong, determined leader” while emphasising Syria’s reintegration into the global economy.
The U.S. Treasury announced a pause to Syrian sanctions for 180 days, signalling concrete steps toward normalisation and paving the way for Gulf and Western investment in a country emerging from years of isolation.
Meanwhile, the Saudi visit underscores the renewed U.S.–Saudi alliance.
During his first term, Trump secured the 2020 Abraham Accords and laid the foundation for Gulf-Israel normalization.
His administration now aims to elevate Saudi Arabia from strategic client to cornerstone partner, with a likely executive-order defence guarantee and deepening intelligence cooperation.
Riyadh, while not yet ready to normalise with Israel, views the U.S. security umbrella as the gateway to future regional influence.
From Israel’s perspective, the recalibration poses both opportunity and risk.
Jerusalem stands to benefit from diminished Iranian proxies in Syria, yet remains cautious of al-Sharaa’s extremist past and the pace of Syrian rehabilitation.
Israeli officials insist that stability in southern Syria must be secured before Syrian forces return.
On the U.S. side, Trump’s decision signals that his second-term foreign-policy vision is centred on rapid engagement, strategic deals, and expanding American influence through regional realignment rather than containment.
With Saudi Arabia and Syria aligned under Washington’s auspices, the emerging architecture could redraw Middle-East geopolitics: a pro-Western axis from the Gulf through Jordan and Syria to the Mediterranean.
While Israel remains the strategic anchor for U.S. policy, its role may shift from lead actor to tactical partner as Washington orchestrates a broader multi-state framework.
The coming weeks, particularly the MBS visit and pending deals, will test whether the recalibration is tactical or transformational.