Trump and the preparation for the summit with Putin

Written by Nasser Kandil.

The regional and the international arenas are witnessing contradictory developments. Washington seems a reason for such developments, but these major shifts do not draw strategies and do not lead to a radical change in balances. Washington brought ISIS to expand its control in the area dominated by the Syrian Democratic Forces in the eastern of the Euphrates River where the American military deployment locates. Washington abandons its allies in SDF and refuses to fulfill their demands of air support; it leaves their units, tens of villages, towns, and ten square kilometers an easy prey in front of ISIS, while Moscow affirms that it observed Al Nusra front and the white helmets groups transferring poisonous chemical materials in the northwest of Idlib, and it fears from a programmed coordination with Washington. However, neither in Idlib nor in the eastern of the Euphrates Washington has the ability to draw a vision that changes the course of developments in Syria.

In contrast, the Gulf region which forms one of the central American influence areas in the region and the world witnesses a kind of normalization with the occupation entity, it grants the occupation entity clear gains and a message to its worrying public opinion that it is still a stable acceptable entity in the region, but there is nothing that can change the course of the events in the region. In Palestine, there is no partner in any compromise under Israeli conditions adopted by Washington. Saudi Arabia is on its worst days unable to do what it could not do while it was at the peak of the rise of its crown prince. At the same time, the Palestinian leadership is forced to postpone all the understandings with the occupation entity economically, politically, and in security.

Regarding the relationship with Iran, Although Washington is preparing itself for applying new sanctions on Iran and it mobilizes all its banking capacities and its relations with the financial markets, it is unable to put Europe, Russia, China, Turkey, and Pakistan under these sanctions. While the bet on the sanctions coincided with the announcement of an Arab-Israeli alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Israel against Iran and coincided with the restriction on Israel’s military act in Syria by the strength of the supporting lobby influence in Moscow, Washington is affected in two main issues; the obstruction of the deal of the century, and the restriction of the Israeli movement in Syria.

During mysterious and embarrassing circumstances Washington is preparing itself for the congressional midterm elections, which often are an indication of the upcoming presidential elections. Washington which is aware of its limited maneuvers or the return to attack is preparing for a new course with Moscow, illustrated by the visit of the US National Security Advisor John Bolton to Moscow by insisting on the summit which will bring together the Russian and the American Presidents on the eleventh of November, after the end of the midterm elections and the start of the new sanctions on Iran, and after everything becomes clear. However, this summit as requested by Washington is a prelude for successive summits that will be held in Washington and Moscow as an interpretation of the new course.

Washington seems in need to fill the time and to arrange its papers for the summit more than it seems in a state of new attacks, while the final formula of how to deal with Saudi Arabia will be reflected after the summit.

Translated by Lina Shehadeh,