The Middle East Conflict Is Not Yet Over. But A Post-war Strategy Is In The Works
The Middle East conflict is not yet over but a post-war scenario is being deliberated by the Trump administration, Axios reported.
Washington is reportedly chalking out a post-war strategy, according to the news outlet.
The US has set its eyes on a regional effort to contain Iran. The plan is to expand normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors, the report said, quoting unnamed Washington aides who are privy to the information.
The post-war plan, which is in initial stages of deliberation itself, is aimed at steering the US approach in the region. It will reportedly decide the trajectory of the US policy in the final two years of the Trump administration.
The decisive factors that will steer the final plan would be the general elections in Israel, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing an uphill battle. The Israeli polls are slated to be held on October 27.
The second key event is also an election: The US midterm polls. Again the political scenario is similar. The Trump-led Republicans are reportedly facing voter unrest over price rise, mostly as a consequence of the protracted Middle East conflict. The controversial tariff regime has also not gone down well with the electorate according to many surveys. Surveys point out that the Trump-led administration’s approval ratings have plunged, and many raise the possibility that the Democrats may be sniffing a win.
The post-war strategy is being guided by the political strategists of the Trump administration in coordination with various US agencies, according to the Axios report.
President Donald Trump himself has reportedly attended two meetings with senior aides in the recent weeks on the strategy.
Privately, Trump has hinted in conversations with close aides that Washington is working on “something much bigger” in the Middle East after the war with Iran. The White House declined to comment on the Axios story. The news outlet reported that there are three main focus areas that would guide the strategy.
The regional alignment in the Middle East or navigating the geopolitical power blocs in a post war scenario is one of them. The US would like to facilitate a framework in which it would act as a guarantor. This is envisaged as something akin to the next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan.
A concerted effort would be rolled out to bring about a closure to the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and its wide repercussions. A security pact between Israel and Syria and the implementation of the Israel-Lebanon agreement will be the thrust.
A plan to expand the Abraham Accords by crafting a normalization plan for Saudi-Israel ties is also under consideration in this context.
The US administration is of the view that any new Israeli dispensation would cooperate in this post-war scenario. Else, the fate of plan would be uncertain.
A section of US officials think that even if a new Israeli dispensation is reluctant to back the plan, Trump would throw his weight behind the plan and push for implementing it.
The news outlet report said the final plan is likely to be ready in a few weeks. The US allies in the region would be keenly watching how Washington unfurls its post-war strategy even before the curtains are down for the protracted Middle East conflict.
