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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Trump Wants a Calm Middle East

He wants the region to pump fuel and buy our goods—not entangle the United States in more wars.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
President Donald Trump shakes hands with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff on February 11, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Al Drago via Getty Images)
Caption
President Donald Trump shakes hands with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff on February 11, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Al Drago via Getty Images)

Even before senior national security figures discussed secret war plans over a Signal chat that inadvertently included a magazine editor, it was clear that March Madness has broken out in the Middle East.

Military conflicts and political unrest are simultaneously on the boil across the region. The Trump administration is sending a second carrier strike group to the region as the U.S. confrontation with the Houthis intensifies.

Read the full article in The Wall Street Journal.