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Trump So Far: The Middle East View

Trump So Far: The Middle East View

When Donald Trump was elected as the 45th U.S. President, there was reason for some comfort amongst the United States’ traditional Arab allies in the Middle East, with hopes of a stronger stand against their adversary Iran.

“They’ve been measuredly optimistic about the Trump administration, in part because of the tough stance on Iran, and in part because they think the President will be open to striking deals with them,” says Jon Alterman, Director, Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They felt neglected by the Obama administration, and they think they have a chance of not being neglected by this one,” he adds.

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