Trump 2.0: US Policy Shifts Amid a Changing Middle East Landscape

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• Thursday, Sep 18, 2025  11:10am - 1pm

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Eight months into the second Trump administration, the Middle East has become a more prominent focus of overall U.S. foreign policy. This first eight months was one of high operations tempo for the United States and included President Trump’s Gulf trip; a major policy shift to lift sanctions on Syria and meet with Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa; U.S. military strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites along with U.S. support for a 12-day Israeli military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear program, military leadership, and infrastructure; and diplomacy in the region led by prominent Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Tom Barrack.

The impact of these significant actions by the United States in the Middle East remains mixed. Close U.S. partners in the Middle East, particularly the countries T