Donald Trump has already cast serious doubts on two signature initiatives taken by the Obama administration: the nuclear deal with Iran and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. While the latter is significant in the Indo-Pacific and mainland Asia, the former has the potential to stir up the Middle East cauldron.
Will he take a leaf out of Barack Obama’s foreign policy book or muddle his way through the Middle East?
Obviously, the new administration’s strategy towards Iran will not be Tehran-specific, but is likely to be part of a larger approach towards the entire Middle East. If the new administration ends up antagonizing Iran, it will have to see how that plays with the other major American calculus towards Saudi Arabia, Iraq, ISIS, Syria, and even Russia. Any new strategy towards ISIS, Iraq and Syria will have to involve Russia and Saudi Arabia, and it will not be easy for Trump to pursue American interests on his own
