What’s surprising is the big winners so far — not Russia, nor Israel — but two countries Trump has spent decades disparaging: China and Saudi Arabia. Instead, Trump has lauded President Xi Jinping as someone with whom he has made “tremendous progress” in forging a cooperative relationship. The alignment with Saudi Arabia can be cast as part of a larger campaign to turn back Iranian aggression in the Middle East — and, perhaps, help Israel broker peace with the Palestinians. China and Saudi Arabia focus their diplomacy on the Trump family. When China fails to rein in North Korea, or the Saudis fail to deliver the Palestinians for a Mideast peace deal, Trump may suddenly turn on them.

Source: Washington Post June 11, 2017 23:48 UTC