Middle East

Donald Trump Reshapes the Middle East: A New Geopolitical Era

Mark Saikali, 15/05 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Saudi Arabia Middle East Lebanon

Donald Trump had promised that his visit to the Gulf would be historic — and he delivered. From the moment he stepped off the plane, a series of announcements followed swiftly. Let’s start with the numbers — and they’re staggering: $300 billion in signed deals spanning industry, research, defense, space, and even civilian nuclear energy. ...

Trump to Close Deal-Making Gulf Tour in UAE

This is Beirut, 15/05 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Middle East UAE

US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely on seeking deals after billions of dollars of pledges from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The first major trip of his second term had been scheduled to end Thursday but Trump, always ready with surprises, did not rule out continuing on to ...

Trump’s Middle East Visit: AI Dreams, Petrodollars and the Rebirth of Broken States

Salam El Zaatari, 15/05 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump MBS Saudi Arabia Dubai Syria Middle East

Trump’s first major foreign trip in his second term didn’t start in Jerusalem, Cairo or Baghdad, it began in Riyadh. That alone says a lot. This wasn’t about Abraham Accords 2.0 or sermonizing about “shared values.” This was pure transactional diplomacy, wrapped in the glossy skin of petrodollars and lined with AI circuits. The visuals ...

Trump Basks in Saudi Welcome on Business-Focused State Visit

This is Beirut, 13/05 16:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Saudi Arabia Middle East Palestine

Donald Trump enjoyed a lavish, royal welcome in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the first state visit of his second term, with the US president foremost focused on business deals at the start of a Gulf tour. Saudi Arabia escorted Air Force One with fighter jets before bringing out long-stretching honour guards both at the airport and a palace decked ...

Lebanon Is Finally on the Right Track

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 13/05 15:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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A glimmer of hope can finally be seen in the Middle East and is emanating, surprisingly, from Lebanon, where the state is restoring its sovereignty and shrinking the Hezbollah tumor. More needs to be done. For now, however, the country is on the right track. “It has only been six or seven months,” a senior U.S. official told The Wall Street ...

US Approves $1.4 bn Weapons Sale to UAE

This is Beirut, 13/05 09:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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US officials said Monday the State Department has authorized the sale of $1.4 billion worth of military aircraft and equipment to the United Arab Emirates, ahead of President Donald Trump's visit this week. The proposed sale to the Gulf state involves six CH-47F Chinook helicopters and other equipment for $1.32 billion that would "support the ...

Lebanon Border Deal Nears Under US, French and Saudi Mediation

Philippe Abi-Akl, 13/05 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The border demarcation issue between Lebanon and its neighbors—Syria to the north and Israel to the south—is progressing, with France, Saudi Arabia and the US playing key mediating roles. The situation is now more favorable, as long-standing internal and external obstacles have largely dissipated, creating a better climate for finalizing ...

Trump’s Middle East Tour: Diplomacy Under the Billion-Dollar Sign

Mario Chartouni, 12/05 17:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Middle East Gulf Saudi Arabia Qatar UAE

Donald Trump begins the first diplomatic tour of his second term with a strategic visit to Gulf monarchies. This tour — which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — aims to strengthen already solid economic ties with these hydrocarbon-rich states, with the hope of securing massive trade and investment deals. Riyadh has ...

Stabilization in the Middle East: Necessary, but Not Sufficient

Michel Touma, 12/05 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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The Lebanese are understandably focused on the upcoming municipal elections, but they remain deeply unsettled by regional developments. As the situation evolves, it often feels as though little changes. Today, the primary concern is the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, and, more critically, the fate of various Iranian proxies ...

Beirut 1945: De Gaulle Is Near

Moncef Ait-Kaci, 09/05 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Before becoming the leader of Free France, the founder of the Fifth Republic or the symbolic figure of Gaullism, Charles de Gaulle was an officer stationed in the Levant, where he lived, commanded, observed. Lebanon always held a special place in his worldview—a relationship shaped by history, war and a certain idea of France. Between 1929 and ...

What Trump’s 'Good News' Could Mean for the Middle East

Salam El Zaatari, 08/05 09:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump United States Middle East

Don't listen to what he says if you want to understand how foreign policy works under Donald Trump in 2025. Watch who gets fired, what trip doesn’t happen, and where the “very good news” is going to land. Because when President Trump teased an “earth-shattering” announcement ahead of his May 13 Middle East visit—skipping Israel in ...

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