Those implementing the shift in U.S. policy toward Syria still include Trump aides leery of significant outreach to Sharaa, like Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, Sebastian Gorka, the counter-terror director at the White House National Security Council, and Joel Rayburn, Trump’s nominee for the chief Middle East job at the State Department. While backers of a more modest U.S. approach in the Middle East may be pleased with the developments on Syria, there’s little guarantee the thinking on that issue will extend to broader policy — particularly given evidence that even if Trump’s move displeased Israel, it pleased other regional players who want the U.S. deeply involved in the region. “I don’t know if it is a signpost for restraint ascendancy in the administration or if it’s because the Saudis say, ’We’re going to buy billions in weapons,” said Gil Barndollar, a nonresident fellow at the group Defense Priorities, which advocates for a less hawkish U.S. foreign policy and has seen some personnel appointed to Trump administration jobs.
Author: Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Published at: 2025-05-14 21:30:20
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