The deal that has just been brokered in Gaza is a major achievement for US President Donald Trump. Unlike the previous deal negotiated by Joe Biden but that he helped finalize, this one is truly his, and credit should be given where it belongs.
What is notable is that the very features that made this deal possible are also the ones that are eroding America’s democracy and prosperity.
Trump is a dealmaker, a truly transactional person with very few core principles. This is what helped him detach Qatar and Turkey from Hamas, by granting these two countries some benefits that outweighed their support for the terror group.
A more traditional president may not have been able or willing to grant a full security agreement to Qatar and hint to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. His transactional approach, that can lead to corruption and a lack of a consistent set of policies, was actually extremely beneficial to achieve a ceasefire.
Trump's approach to politics and diplomacy
Trump’s lack of knowledge and grasp on policy matters is often, and rightly so, mocked on the national stage. He can be easily manipulated as long as he can boast of some successes. A think tank like Heritage Foundation has perfectly understood this to use him as the vessel that could implement its radical conservative ideology.
In diplomacy, his lack of specifics and firm beliefs was actually a blessing as it helped him focus on the end goal, declare the deal done while leaving to others the necessity to work things out. What does not work on health care or taxes can work in diplomacy, especially when the views seem irreconcilable.
When these irreconcilable views are held by radical enemies, like in the Israel-Hamas War, brutality is sometimes necessary to impose a deal, and Trump was able to do just that, on top of a voluntarist mindset.
This brutality on the national stage is causing a major rift in the country, to the detriment of national unity and the very democratic nature of the country, but it has proven effective to impose the Gaza deal – at least its first stage.
Playing to Trump's ego
Trump’s ego goes hand in hand with his brutality. He does not tolerate dissent and wants to be flattered. This causes him to engage in endless fights and retribution, instead of getting things done domestically. The hostage families have understood this and flattered his ego – while appreciating his genuine concern for the hostages – and he said himself that he was aware of their appreciation.
All the parties involved have played his ego, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize to the Arab states at the UN, and even Hamas was careful enough to thank him repeatedly. At the end of the day, his quest for the ultimate reward for his ego, a Nobel Peace Prize, and the reluctance to oppose him by all the parties may have made this deal possible.
Trump’s short attention span may doom the next stages of the agreement. Yet, there is also a more optimistic outcome: Maybe this indisputable success will cause Trump not only to make sure it leads to long-term pacification in the Middle East but also to pause and think he could get similar applause domestically if he focuses less on retribution, petty grievances, or attacks on checks and balances, and more on solving problems instead of weaponizing them, thereby implementing to be the president he promised to be back in 2016.
Born and raised in France, the writer is the correspondent of French Jewish radio, Radio J, in the US, where he has been living for 15 years. He also holds US and Israeli citizenships. His opinions are his only.