Trump’s election in 2016 brought yet more uncertainty to the Middle East. He was expected to be suspicious of military intervention there and to support strongmen over democracy. But would he tear up the Iran deal, sever ties with Gulf allies, side with Russia in Syria and move the US’s Israel embassy to Jerusalem? Would his policies accelerate conflict? One year on, the direction of policy is not much clearer. Contradictions abound, against a backdrop of deep differences of opinion within the US system, and a foreign policy establishment that is in some disarray.
Middle East gets messier
Trump promised to change everything but what has that meant for the region, asks Jane Kinninmont
