As the initial shock of Donald J Trump’s election begins to subside and clarity sets upon his choice of cabinet picks, the world can start to set forth a plan on how to deal with this unexpected turn of events.
For much of the world “uncertainty” and “concern” are two words that could be used to describe a Trump administration, but for the Gulf Arab states these are the same words that are associated with the Obama administration. Obama has after all not been an ideal ally: he abandoned Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak in 2011, failed to enforce the red line ultimatum in Syria, and signed, without consulting the Gulf states, an agreement with their arch rival, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In the Gulf, the general perception is that Republican administrations are more malleable and loyal to their friends. That may historically be the case, but Trump is no true blue Republican. He has also threatened ties with much closer allies including NATO states and Japan and South Korea.
