The great German philosopher Georg Friedrich Hegel (1770- 1831) introduced to Western political thought the concept of the “World Historical Figure,” which he defined as individuals whose “personal aims serve a larger historical purpose through the overthrow of outdated structures and ideas.”
In reflecting upon the tornado-like impact of Donald Trump on the long-venerated norms of international diplomacy and the seemingly intractable dilemmas of Middle Eastern politics that have haunted world history since the end of the Second World War, it is not a stretch to see this American President as fully fitting Hegel's classic definition.
The Middle Eastern legacy of military and political conflict, human carnage, and rampant terrorism has defied the best efforts of world statesmen to achieve enduring solutions for 80 years. Fourteen American Presidents and countless leaders of other nations have committed themselves to the search for peace in this most chronically troubled area of the planet, only to be frustrated time and again. Most dangerously the interminable conflicts of this region–not least four Arab-Israeli wars and American-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan–have become a near constant theater of Great Power conflict, notably among the three nuclear-armed giants– America, Russia, and China.
Now, however, the extraordinary events of recent days – culminating in the dramatic release of all live Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and President Trump's trip to Israel and Egypt –have included emotional family reunions, a long-sought ceasefire in Gaza, and soaring hopes for a genuinely new day in the Middle East.
Yet serious notes of caution are still in order. The long quest for peace in the Middle East has included many “false dawns”–e.g. the Camp David Accords in 1979, the Oslo Accords of 1993 – in which initial hopes were subsequently dashed by missteps or intransigence on one side or the other, followed by renewed cycles of violence and human suffering.
So, why should this latest chapter in a long tragic saga of death, destruction, and religious hatred end any differently than all the others? The answer lies in the singular persona of Donald J. Trump, who has achieved an epic result in the Middle East that has won grudging praise, or at least temporary silence, from the bitterest of his legion of enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Trump himself is a rare phenomenon, politically and personally – an American Phoenix who has risen from the ashes of crushing defeat and literally near-death experiences to gain an ascendancy in America and the world unprecedented in living memory. To say that he is divisive and polarizing is a gross understatement, but then certain of America's greatest Presidents – Lincoln, FDR, Reagan – have in their own time been loved and hated with great fervor, and been the targets of assassins’ bullets.
Trump's achievement in the Middle East has a better chance of enduring success than the labors of his predecessors for two reasons: both his approach to problem solving and his methodology in pursuing his goals are dramatically different from past efforts.
First, his approach has not just been in the traditional context of security, but also by making full use of the lure of prosperity for the countries and peoples of the Middle East by inviting them to be participants or even partners in the unrivaled engine of America's economy and technological innovation.
Secondly, his methodology has taken the traditional tools of "carrot and stick” to bold and imaginative new levels. He is impervious to charges of inconsistency while he changes tactics and opinions with dizzying regularity. He calls enemies like Putin and allies like Netanyahu his “good friend” one moment, and in the next threatens them with dire consequences if they fail to conform to his vision. He seems to embody the famous maxim of Ralph Waldo Emerson that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
And bad actors beware: Mr. Trump has a startling but very effective tendency to actually do what he promises, whether that be closing the border, bombing Iran's nuclear facilities, or making tariffs an essential tool of American diplomacy.
At the beginning of what future historians might possibly call the “Age of Trump,” his book The Art of the Deal was an object of widespread mockery. But today it is being increasingly seen as the essence of a new diplomacy which has the potential to redeem the lives of millions of the long-suffering peoples of the Middle East. Should that hopeful vision survive its remaining hazards and come to fruition, then Donald Trump will not need a Nobel Peace Prize to ensure his rightful place in world history.
William Moloney studied history and politics at Oxford and the University of London and received his doctorate from Harvard University. His articles have appeared in the Wall St. Journal, USA Today, The Hill. The Washington Post, Washington Times. Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun, Denver Post and Human Events.