The Prospects of a New Arab Strategy Triggered by Trumpian Chaos
Among the many questions triggered by the shock-and-confuse approach of controversial U.S. President Donald Trump is this: Is the Trumpian chaos seeking to sow global turmoil as a means of coercing other nations and limiting their options, forcing them to comply with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda? Or is its purpose to compel others to consider options that were previously unthinkable until confronted with the weapon of disorder and its consequences? In truth, the Trumpian chaos is global in its reach, placing the entire world at a critical juncture: Does this man know exactly what he is doing and is acting purposefully, or is he truly suffering from delusions of grandeur, in either case posing a danger—not just to America itself, but to the world at large? Is Donald Trump a master strategist and tactician, or is he tactically and strategically inept, lacking even a fundamental grasp of how to handle both minor and major issues? Since taking office, Trump’s governance style has sparked fierce debate across the world. While much of the reaction has been outrage at his impulsive policies, his actions have also forced a reevaluation of certain of his political strategies—if only because they have exposed the inefficiency, incompetence, and flawed thinking of others. So, how should the world respond to the Trumpian phenomenon coming out of the White House?
The divide over Donald Trump is now sharper and deeper—both in the U.S. and globally. Some, myself included, assumed he would be more measured and less erratic in a second term. Indeed, he gave that impression during his campaign, despite riling up MAGA crowds with grandiose, over the top promises that many at the time dismissed as mere election rhetoric. But today, Trump has proven he meant every word—and he’s not backing down.
Trump’s own camp fears his war on the U.S. system of government could trigger massive legal battles, crippling his presidency and dragging the country into real, dangerous internal conflict. Trump thrives on spectacle and relentless pressure, using this as a tactic to force change. He imagines that pulling the rug from under the establishment will disorient opponents and force their surrender. But that gamble has not paid off yet at home. Resistance to his policies is fierce. The country is now bracing for legal warfare in the courts and media—as the media, once captivated by the Trump phenomenon, snaps out of its honeymoon with him and resumes open hostility to Trump.
Trump’s skill of bluntly and aggressively force issues on the table has won him unexpected support within the U.S.—from people who never thought they’d agree with him. His crackdown on excessive federal spending is one example of this alignment of principles. But entrusting the mercurial billionaire Elon Musk with slashing bureaucracy and cutting government expenditures is a recipe for disaster. Indeed, Musk’s abrasive handling of institutions—and his arrogance toward the political establishment—will alienate a significant segment of Trump’s own voter base.
For Trump, what matters most is acting proactively to produce immediate and interim results, while he cares less for final enduring outcomes. His tactic relies on floating unorthodox ideas, envisaging that shock will push people to follow his lead—or at least force them to think outside the box, as he does. And Trump has the same approach to world leaders, not just internal U.S. politics.
Trump bets that the world will eventually fall in line with his ideas. He doesn’t care if his chaos-fuelled, strongman tactics embolden authoritarian rulers or not, nor does he worry whether his reckless policies serve as gifts to the very forces he aims to weaken. Indeed, Trump has often boasted about his skill in stirring up disorder to shake things up and force unconventional solutions.
The problem here is that he fundamentally misunderstands the issues he meddles with—whether it’s Gaza and the West Bank, and the path to ending the Israeli-Arab conflict, or Ukraine’s central role in the European-Russian power balance.
Yet some world leaders are starting to wake up from the new nightmare of Trumpism with an insight, namely that Donald Trump isn’t as unstoppable as he seems. He can be challenged, and his grandiose expansionist projects—whether for American dominance, Israeli expansionism, or their joint security agenda—can be resisted. That doesn’t mean Trump will waver or back down because he only shifts when he is offered options that account for the momentum he has created.
Saudi Arabia’s firm rejection of Trump’s proposals—to displace Palestinians, dismantle the two-state solution, and endorse the Israeli claim that Jordan should be the "alternative homeland"—proves that his dictates can be confronted and shaped, as well as shaping an Arab counterstrategy. Egypt and Jordan, not just Gaza and the West Bank, are in the crosshairs of Trump’s Israeli-loaded cannon. This makes a comprehensive, realistic, and forward-thinking Arab strategy essential to blocking some of his most dangerous projects.
Some Arab leaders are now openly admitting that they must put an end to all reckless defiance and provocation of Israel if there’s any hope of stopping Trump’s vision for Gaza, meaning no longer tolerating Hamas. A growing consensus is emerging among Arab leaders that appeasing Hamas is no longer a viable policy, as it will only lead to Gaza’s total devastation and the forced displacement of its people under relentless U.S.-Israeli firepower.
Thus, it’s no coincidence that Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, ahead of an emergency Arab summit, publicly stated that Hamas must "step down." This isn’t just a bold stance—it’s the foundation of an emerging Arab strategy to counter Trump’s dictates and Israel’s long-standing use of Hamas’s intransigence as a pretext for its brutal, illegal, and genocidal policies.
Side-lining Hamas is now a serious and necessary condition for saving Gaza and its people. Yet the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on Saudi Arabia—Egypt and Qatar bear the primary burden of convincing Hamas to step down. The Palestinian Authority, too, must finally rise to the occasion, reinvent itself immediately through reforms, new leadership, and a clear roadmap in coordination with Arab states. The time for aimless rejectionism is over. The PA must stop its endless evasion—for this is a fateful moment.
There is growing concern that the revival of the Muslim Brotherhood project in the Middle East is quietly advancing, backed by a web of regional and possibly U.S. interests—aligning with forces like Turkey and Israel in both Palestine and Syria.
Beyond conspiracy theories. the push to expel Gazans into Egypt and Jordan is a sinister idea that carries existential risks for Jordan and security threats for Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in Jordan is already formidable. An influx of Brotherhood-aligned Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank would be a direct attempt to destabilize King Abdullah II and the Hashemite monarchy. Meanwhile, any forced or voluntary displacement of Gazans into Egypt would shatter the fragile security balance in Sinai and could tip the scales in favour of the Brotherhood against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Trump likely doesn’t grasp this "fine print" of his grand schemes—like his push to annex Gaza after completing its ethnic cleansing. He is likewise blind to Turkey’s agenda in Syria and Erdogan’s deep-rooted support for the project of the Brotherhood’s revival. More dangerously, Trump may just be executing an Israeli blueprint, shaped by U.S. institutions and individuals, with the goal of destabilizing Arab states like Jordan and Egypt while simultaneously undermining Iran and Shia forces by empowering the Brotherhood—just as Barack Obama had done.
Trump still clings to his "Deal of the Century", the grand normalization plan between Israel and Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia. Yet, through his reckless, humiliating proposals that endanger the U.S.’s Arab partners should they concede, he is actively sabotaging it.
The upcoming Arab summit this month must focus on presenting practical alternatives to Trump’s plan—drawing from local assessments and proposals like that of General David Petraeus, who outlined a reconstruction plan based on security and political parameters that are far removed from Trump’s “displacement-for-reconstruction” scheme. The core idea revolves around a partnership with Gazans—without Hamas—alongside Arab states, ensuring their safe return to the north through a phased rebuilding process, block by block.
Any Arab plan must immediately inject funds into a Gaza rehabilitation fund and pair it with a practical reconstruction plan. Temporary transition measures must be in place while housing units are rebuilt in stages. The reconstruction effort will be massive, and Trump—both as a businessman and investor—will want a stake, either directly through his son-in-law Jared Kushner or via U.S. business allies. The vision includes an international airport and a complete overhaul of Gaza’s coastline into a global investment hub—which all requires enormous funding and investments.
The challenge for Arab leadership is resisting Trump’s push for American control over Gaza via a bilateral deal with Israel—one that would transfer Gaza’s administration from Israeli hands to direct U.S. control. But just as U.S. institutions have legally challenged Trump on domestic issues, the Arab summit must adopt an international legal stance asserting that neighboring countries are not bound by bilateral U.S.-Israeli agreements aimed at imposing American control over Gaza, as Trump’s plan seeks to do.
Global diplomatic mobilization is also crucial to blocking forced displacement—whether disguised as voluntary or not. But just as importantly, action must be taken in international forums to legally and politically obstruct Trump’s annexation ambitions. The U.S. president has abandoned the idea of "buying Gaza" to transform it into the Middle East’s Riviera—because he realized it’s cheaper to seize it without paying. Arab leaders must head off Trump’s project by ensuring Arab ownership of Gaza’s reconstruction—not just through rhetoric or vague commitments, but through a reconstruction fund that invites European and Asian investments. However, this must be done without excluding American interests—whether intentionally or unintentionally.
There is renewed discussion in Israeli and U.S. circles about Israel annexing the West Bank while Arabs "take ownership" of Gaza’s reconstruction. This is a dangerous proposition, especially given Trump’s ill-treatment of Jordan’s King Abdullah II. The Arab summit must therefore make its position crystal clear because there is a growing perception that the region has no choice but to submit to Trump’s annexation plans—no matter how delusional they may seem to any rational observer.
Trump might take a step back, as he often does. But how far he retreats will depend entirely on how far the Arab steps push forward with a serious strategy to counter the Trumpian chaos.