In this corner of Michigan, with the highest percentage of Arab Americans among all cities in the U.S., Donald Trump soundly defeated Kamala Harris. Voters in Arab American and Muslim communities were angry that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris could do little to stop the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

These voters may know something that the rest of us do not.

In the Arab world, the term "wasta" is a colloquial expression describing the use of personal connections or influential relationships to gain advantage and favor. A man with wasta rewards loyalty, values tribe over governing norms, and trades in favors rather than acts on principle.

Donald Trump has wasta.

Wasta has enormous cultural significance in the Middle East. So it is not surprising that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to call the president-elect, breathlessly congratulating Trump for history’s greatest comeback.

Not to be outdone, Mohammed bin Salman the Saudi crown prince, then called Trump, saying his kingdom was looking forward to “deepening historic and strategic relations” with the United States. Both Netanyahu and bin Salman understood that the biggest event in the Middle East was Trump’s election. They both know he is unpredictable and personal, with an unmatched ego and perceived strength on the street.

They understand Trump is not bound by post-World War II norms, international........

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