Washington's shrinking territorial landscape in the Middle East

The US grew massively unpopular in the Arab world following the 911 events, the invasion of Iraq and the its support in a bloody massacre called The Arab Spring.

This has shrunken its visibility in the region, while its deal with Iran on the nuclear issue made it look a weaker spent force in the eyes of the Sunni majority in the region.

The fact that the US was behind a failed attempt to regime change in Syria, backing Sunni elements that fed the ISIS with weapons and an opportunity to take over parts of the embattled Syrian nation, has also weakened the US’s presence in the Middle East.

Not to mention the debacle in Libya where the Barack Obama regime backed the murder of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

All put together, added with the success of the Russians in Syria in dealing with both the Isis and the anti-Syrian government rebels, the American failures in the Middle East left the Donald Trump administration with only one choice.

Lean on Israel by supporting its Zionist agenda.

Do not forget that the Sunni Saudi Arabian nation is doing everything to keep its control of the oil market alive, which is also undermining the American shale oil producers in the US.

This is viewed as an offensive situation by the Trump administration, thus backing Israel would possibly bring the Arabs to let go of the oil production cuts and accept their fate in an uncontrolled market place.

But it is the next move by the Trump administration or by Donald Trump (since he is the dictator) in the Middle East that will matter.

Now that Trump has caught the attention of Israel with his support of the Zionist state’s wish that Jerusalem, the international city, become their capital city, the Israelis will have to pay Trump back.

Will Trump ask for cash payback, or for favours?

While the Saudi Arabian royals are hoping that Trump will have a deeper look at Iran and its role in the Yemen conflict before it moves to further curtail the American nuclear deal with Tehran, this might not happen. At least not so soon.

It is in Israel’s favour that such a deal be scrapped, as it will keep Tel Aviv’s position as the sole nuclear armed nation in the Middle East.

It will also increase desperation in Iran.

A desperate Iran will only press on harder with its support to the Houtis rebels in Yemen, in a war where the Saudi Arabian royals see as a security threat near its borders.

There is no reason for Trump to halt the Yemen war, or to help the Saudis against Iran in the Yemen war, but to curtail Iran’s rise as a competitor to what remains of the little US influence in the region.

Nevertheless, Trump’s biblical move to support Israel on the Jerusalem issue, has only hastened the shrinking of the soil in which the US had influence. 

With its stand-off against the Iranians, and its debacle in Iraq (where Iran rules), the US now have only the Israelis controlled territories to contend with.

What a shrunken domain, indeed.

But under Trump, a realtor, this shrinking landscape is worth more than the entire Middle East.

Unless the American dogmatic leader decides to go after the oil which is increasingly under threat of extremis Islamist forces, like the ones in Libya.