Trump’s Middle East tour has more substance than the White House let on

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/15/politics/trump-syria-sanctions-israel-middle-east-tour

Wherever he goes, Trump’s brings disruption that can forge possibilities. And he takes risks – for instance, his decision on this trip to lift sanctions on Syria to give a war-ravaged nation a second chance.

But the move revives a perennial question about Trump’s entire foreign and trade policy. Can he apply himself sufficiently to reach genuine breakthroughs from openings he creates?

The White House’s obsession with lionizing Trump means his most significant initiatives are often swamped by hype.

So a deal for Qatar to buy Boeing jets worth tens of billions of dollars got more attention back home Wednesday than his encounter in Riyadh with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The historic first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years, could be the signature initiative of Trump’s tour.

His journey has also highlighted growing daylight with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who was seen as an ideological soulmate of the 47th president but who is increasingly an object of Trump’s frustration.