Donald Trump may be the most powerful player on the Middle Eastern chessboard today, but virtually every government in the region understands something that could ultimately prove more important: Trump has an expiration date.
Israel knows it. Turkey knows it. Saudi Arabia knows it. Qatar knows it. Iran knows it. Hamas certainly knows it.
That reality may help explain some of the seemingly contradictory maneuvering now taking place across the Middle East. Governments are negotiating with Trump, accommodating Trump and attempting to extract concessions from Trump. At the same time, they are positioning themselves for the possibility that America’s next president could dramatically change the rules of the game.
They don’t necessarily have to defeat Trump’s policies.
Some may simply have to survive them.
Everyone Is Playing The Clock
This is particularly important because the Middle East Trump inherited has become even more volatile.
The war with Iran has shaken confidence in traditional security arrangements, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have now established the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. Their first high-level meeting under the pact is taking place as all three countries reassess their security requirements in an increasingly unstable region.
Meanwhile, Gaza remains unresolved.
The original promise was that Hamas would be disarmed and a new governing structure would emerge. Yet the process has dragged on, while Turkey, Qatar and Egypt have become increasingly important intermediaries in determining Gaza’s future.
For Hamas, delay may itself represent victory.
Hamas does not necessarily need to defeat Israel militarily. If it can preserve enough fighters, weapons, financial networks and political influence to remain relevant until America’s political environment changes, its prospects could look considerably different.
Iran may be calculating similarly.
Tehran has suffered enormously during its confrontation with America and Israel, yet the regime remains standing. Fighting erupted again this weekend when U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran therefore has every reason to watch the American calendar.
Why make concessions today if Tehran believes a future administration might offer negotiations on more favorable terms?
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Then There Is Erdogan
Turkey may be playing the longest game of all.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can maintain his relationship with Trump while strengthening Turkey militarily, expanding its influence in Syria, participating in Gaza diplomacy and building new strategic relationships with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The critical point is that these relationships could survive Trump.
The original article raises exactly this concern regarding the possibility of Turkey eventually receiving American F-35s. Presidents come and go. Advanced fighter aircraft don’t.
The same principle applies to Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions. Nuclear infrastructure constructed during Trump’s presidency could remain for decades.
That means Washington isn’t simply negotiating agreements for 2026.
