President Trump has been harsh on the Middle East policies of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He has good reasons for that. The Obama-Biden era saw the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam, the empowerment of Iran, the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel and ensuing war in Gaza.

In contrast, Trump’s first term had brought stability to the region. Trump led efforts to destroy the Islamic State, repaired fractured relations with the Gulf States and Israel and restored deterrence to the region through shows of force.

Now, in Trump’s second term, he should make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes as his predecessors, which could embolden Iran and political Islamist movements. Specifically, the president should avoid public conflicts with the government of Israel, take a strong stance against Iran and restore the deterrence that the Biden administration eroded.

To do this, he must take on the isolationist wing of his own administration.

Officials including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Michael DiMino and other isolationist adherents have strongly pushed against any sort of U.S. intervention in the region. But avoiding intervention at all costs is perceived in the Middle East as weakness.

Trump’s rhetoric signals he understands the true meaning of peace through strength, yet some of his actions have signaled something else. Washington halted strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, for instance, after the Houthis promised not to strike U.S. ships. Trump and his secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, have also failed to hold Iran accountable for Houthi actions; even during Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the Houthis launched rockets at Israel over Saudi airspace.

Administration officials told the

© The Hill