Who Brings the North Wind?

The North Wind and the Sun were arguing about which of them was stronger.  As they debated, a traveler came along wearing a cloak.  They agreed that whoever could make the traveler remove his cloak would be considered stronger.  The North Wind went first.  He blew with all his might, howling and gusting, trying to tear the cloak away. But the harder he blew, the more tightly the traveler wrapped the cloak around himself.  Then the Sun took his turn. He simply smiled warmly and gently on the traveler and as his rays grew warmer, the traveler became hot and eventually took off his cloak.  The Sun had proved his point.

The moral of the story is obvious, gentleness and persuasion win where force and bluster fail.  This sixth century B.C. fable is often used to illustrate the power of kindness and warmth over aggression and coercion.  In Aesop’s fable, the Sun’s gentle warmth succeeds where the North Wind’s force fails.  Similarly, President Donald Trump’s recent economic ‘peace thru prosperity’ diplomacy in the Middle East emphasizes economic engagement and mutual benefits over threats and coercion.

History reveals that the Middle East has experienced volatility for thousands of years, but in the modern geopolitical sense, its volatility dates primarily from the early 20th century, driven by colonial interests, religious divisions, oil discoveries, and the creation of new nation-states.

Nonetheless, the region is geopolitically vital for a number of strategic reasons.   First and foremost, the region holds over half of the world’s proven oil reserves and a significant portion of natural gas.  Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE are major oil producers, making the region central to global energy markets.  Control over oil flow—especially through chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz—have enormous influence on the global economy.

The Middle East also just happens to sit at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, with access to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea via the Suez Canal, and the Persian Gulf, making it a crucial hub for trade routes, military logistics, and transportation networks.

The region is also birthplace of three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  History has also shown that religion has fueled tensions in the region, influencing internal politics, international relations, and foisted the curse of our time, terrorism upon the world.  Ongoing wars & disputes, i.e., the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the Iran-Saudi rivalry, along with civil wars, most notably in Syria and Yemen, attract the attention global powers, such as the U.S., Russia, China, and the EU all of whom have distinct interests in the region, competing for access to resources, military footholds and political influence

Additionally, conflicts in the Middle East have triggered mass displacement and refugee flows into Europe and neighboring countries, creating humanitarian crises and political challenges.  And because the region combines vast energy wealth, a strategic location, religious significance, and geopolitical rivalries it is a critical arena for both regional and global powers.

~ The Trump Agenda ~

During his recent  Middle East tour, President Trump met with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and announced plans to lift longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria.  The goal is to encourage Syria to normalize relations with Israel and expel foreign militants, marking a significant shift in U.S. policy.

Trump has also signaled openness to negotiating a new nuclear agreement with Iran, urging the country to end its nuclear ambitions and its support for terrorism.  These initiatives reflect a strategy that favors economic incentives and diplomatic engagement over traditional hardline tactics.  Trump is a businessman and knows full-well that economic diplomacy is something the United States has the ability to engage in to a degree no other nation on earth can match and he intends to use this soft power to its fullest extent.

But this commonsense approach to the Middle East has raised concerns (of course) among the democrats, as they warn about Qatar’s relationship with terror organizations.  Interestingly, the democrats never quibbled about Qatar’s relationships when Bill Clinton authorized building the Al Udeid Air Base, in Qatar in 1996 following a Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States.  The Qatari government invested over $1 billion to build the base, which was designed to host U.S. and coalition forces in the region. The U.S. began utilizing the base in late 2001 during preparations for operations in Afghanistan, and its role became public in 2002

Trump is building upon the existing comity he has with the Saudi’s, Qatar and other Middle East nations which is akin to the Sun’s method in the aforementioned fable, i.e., seeking to achieve peace through prosperity and eliminating terrorism through persuasion rather than force.  But it’s the democrats who have chosen to become the North Wind, huffing and puffing and resisting everything the president is trying to do to bring peace to the world in general and specifically to the  Middle East and places like Gaza and Ukraine.

Quote of the day: “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” – Poor Richard’s Almanac