Trump's dicey gamble in the Middle East

LET'S forget about US President Donald Trump, his public addresses, media interviews and online presence, and focus our attention instead on the #realDonaldTrump.

I am not referring here to his hyperactive Twitter account, but to the way the Real Donald Trump (RDT) sees America and its place in the world, and in particular, in the Middle East.

"We should stay the hell out of Syria, the 'rebels' are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $ BILLIONS? ZERO" tweeted Mr Trump in June 2013, as pressure mounted on then president Barack Obama to try to intervene in the Syrian civil war. "Let the Arab League take care of Syria. Why are these rich Arab countries not paying us for the tremendous cost of such an attack?" he tweeted two months later.