The US administration is attempting to depart from the previous strategy adopted
by former president Barak Obama, and is trying to hammer a new one under Trump
that could be inferred as follows:
– Iraq is a strategic asset that US troops should not have withdrawn from; as
such Washington is going to reengage more troops in Iraq under the pretext of
fighting terrorism.
– The Americans are not happy to see the reemergence of Russia as a world power
from the Syrian door; and they are keen to assert their supremacy in the region
again by closing the doorway in Raqqa to prevent any attempt to liberate it by
any force other then the US backed Kurds.
– The US administration has highlighted its priority now represented by more
military engagement against Takfiri terrorist groups in Syria, asserting that
ousting president Bashar Assad is not a priority, at a time when Russia
considered any attempt in this context as not conducive to the political
process.
– Washington is not at ease with the increasing Iranian influence in Iraq, and
thus is trying to strike a delicate balance by attempting to increase its
military support and training to the Iraqi forces, and by building more military
bases across the Iraqi geography. More importantly, Washington wants to invest
in the sectarian schism by trying to deepen the wedge among Iraqis, and try to
play the Sunni tribes card this time.
– As for Iran, the US is not in a position to abandon the nuclear agreement, but
will increase its pressure on Iran in different ways so it can downsize the
Iranian influence on many issues of prime interest to Washington.
– Washington would choose to support its traditional allies in the region
especially Saudi Arabia, though with heavy price, and Egypt to counterbalance
the Iranian role.
– The Americans are interested in producing a political settlement to the
Palestinian cause, either by organizing an international conference or by
attempting to solve the issue through direct Israeli Palestinian talks under US
supervision.
– As a conclusion, Washington policy towards the region is a mixture of limited
yet pointed military involvement, backed by intensified political and diplomatic
efforts, and economic pressure rather than going into wars and open
confrontations.
Source: Al-Manar Website