The Trump Doctrine resets US foreign policy in the Middle East

US President Donald Trump’s first official overseas visit—beginning in Saudi Arabia—marked a pivotal reset in America’s approach to the Middle East. He laid out a vision for the Middle East’s future following decades of US interventions and failed regime changes that have led to widespread devastation. More significantly, he restored ties with key Arab capitals after a strained period under the previous administration, which had made Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar its first foreign policy targets back in 2021.

Saudi Arabia, the first stop on Trump’s itinerary, has grown far beyond its traditional regional role. Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom is undergoing rapid transformation and asserting itself as a global power. Whether it's mediating between Washington and Moscow, pushing for Syria’s return to the international stage, or helping to avert a potential war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, Riyadh has become a diplomatic heavyweight—and Trump has taken note.

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While the trip featured several high-profile economic deals, the most consequential moment came during Trump’s major foreign policy speech in Riyadh, where he addressed a room that included Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“You achieved a modern miracle the Arabian way,” Trump said.

KT McFarland, who served as Deputy National Security Advisor in the first Trump administration, said the president “put a stake in the heart of American interventionism. We’ve fought these forever wars for a long time, and we don’t win them.”

In a televised interview, McFarland added that the trip was not only beneficial for US economic interests but also positive for regional peace. “But frankly, it’s the template for how we’re going to deal with countries around the world.”

In his remarks, Trump recognized a changing of the guard in the region’s leadership: “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other.”

Importantly, he emphasized that this progress was homegrown—not the result of Western interference. “It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from western interventionists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs,” he said.

Trump also directly criticized both neoconservatives and liberal ideologues: “The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad.

“Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves, people who’ve lived here their entire lives, developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions, and charting your own destinies in your own way.”

This message resonated strongly across the region—and even within the United States. “In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built—and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies they did not understand,” Trump said.

Victoria Coates, who served as Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa during Trump’s first term, described this approach as the Trump Doctrine. “It’s deals, not bombs.”

Coates, speaking alongside McFarland on Newsmax, added: “And we’re going to lead the world in technology with these great partners.”

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