A “Middle East Neutrality Pact” could be born — not out of ideology, but out of exhaustion

Only Trump could look at a post-apocalyptic state and start pricing drapes. He could stand right in the middle of a blown-out, bullet-riddled sandbox with a dictator-shaped smudge in the middle and declare: “Will you look at all that potential!”

Which brings us to Syria. Cratered, sanctioned, over-seasoned with war crimes and aerial debris, and currently led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a man who may or may not have once been spotted on three different sides of the same ceasefire agreement.

For all practical purposes, Syria is up for grabs. No longer under Russian influence, not yet claimed by China, and awkwardly drifting from Iran. In political terms, it’s a swing state that’s uncommitted, unstable, and totally open to persuasion. Al-Sharaa’s got a country in ruins, an economy on dialysis, and a political base made up of whoever’s still answering the phone. He’ll do the supernatural for a lifeline, a power grid, and one good night’s sleep to be named at a later date.

And Trump sees all this, steeples his fingers, and whispers: “Perfect.” Suddenly he’s fantasizing about flipping the place and turning it into a golf-themed peace summit center with gold-plated faucets and a gift shop that sells “Damascus Steel MAGA hats.” Because Syria’s not just any fixer-upper. It’s the ultimate power move against Iran.

In every photo of Syria trying to move on, there are blurry Iranian figures in the background, arms crossed, eyes a-twitch, wondering where they went wrong. One day they’re investing good money to help Syria earn a master’s degree in self-implosion, and now, all of a sudden invitations to their “Death to America” dinner parties are being returned unopened.

The Syrians might not know this yet, but as Trump’s negotiations with Iran develop, he’s going to start courting them. Quietly at first. Then loudly, and maybe with hats. He’ll offer the deal of a lifetime to a regime barely surviving. Not because Syria deserves it, but because flipping Iran’s erstwhile ally would be peak leverage.

So, Iran will get the maximum pressure encore in the form of sanctions, standoffs, and nuclear ultimatums. He’ll talk tough, act tougher, and expect Tehran to come crawling back to him, ideally with a denuclearization plan and a love letter. Meanwhile, a polished version of Syria will be gently placed back on the regional shelf facing both Mecca and Wall Street.

And if it works? This won’t just be a Syria side hustle. It’ll be the prototype, a region-wide renovation plan disguised as diplomacy. The formula’s simple enough to fit within the Mar-a-Lago crest:

spot a collapsed regime with commitment issues and questionable company

show up with cameras, cash offers, and just enough legitimacy to make it awkward

call it “stability,” brand it as “historic,” and let the press figure out the fine print

Forget nation-building, we’re talking about deal-stabilizing. And if it comes with naming rights and a ceremonial pen? Even better.

Trump doesn’t care if the wiring’s faulty or if al-Sharaa once shared a dorm room with an al-Qaeda travel agent and three self-promoted lieutenant-colonels from the Wagner Group. What matters is winning. If Syria changes its LinkedIn status from “Axis-aligned” to “It’s complicated,” it shifts the balance.

Now, if Trump can turn Syria from a burned-out proxy state into a neutral actor with Gulf backing and US favor, guess who’s watching nervously from across the border?

Lebanon.

That lovely little land of cedar trees, crumbling banks, and Hezbollah-sponsored power outages. If Syria becomes a case study in how to survive without Tehran, Lebanon’s elites might come calling. Quietly, of course. No press releases.

But don’t be surprised if someone from Beirut starts murmuring, “So… what did al-Sharaa give up again? Aha. And how much legitimacy did he get in return? Really.”

A “Middle East Neutrality Pact” could be born — not out of ideology, but out of exhaustion. Think of it like a beta test. A regional prototype. A “try before you buy” model for how to take broken states and give them a make-under: just enough change to re-enter polite society, but not enough to upset the strongmen.

At this point, you don’t think Libya might become curious? Before long, Yemen will dust off an old beeper, Sudan will schedule a Zoom, and watch as Somalia offers to mediate between itself and itself. Because if Syria — literal caution-tape Syria — can get invited back to the grown-ups’ table by just pledging neutrality and saying something vaguely positive about Israel… then what’s everyone else been doing wrong?

Of course, there will be a full press conference to celebrate the occasion, with plenty of shouting and gnashing of teeth.

“But Mr. President, wasn’t al-Sharaa once a terrorist?”

And Trump, without blinking, would grin thinly, tilt his head, and say: “Weren’t they all? Mandela? Begin? Your favorite Founding Father probably blew something up, if you think about it.”

If someone presses him on whether he trusts al-Sharaa, he might shrug: “He looked me in the eye. Strong eye contact. Firm handshake. Quite frankly, I’ve met worse people at CNN.”

Then he’d pivot to cleanup duty and remind the room that he didn’t put al-Sharaa there, he was just cleaning up everybody else’s mess. “I didn’t start the war, folks. I’m just the guy trying to lease out the rubble. And look at all this beautiful rubble. We’re going to do something truly special with this place, believe me.”

And if all else fails, he’d hold up a glossy rebrand folder and say, “A terrorist? Maybe back then. But have you seen his new logo? It’s got a modern font, and will you look at that Dove icon? Very tasteful. Totally different guy.”

Because in this new world order, peace isn’t about where you’ve been, and you don’t need to be a democracy to get invited back to the table. You just need to stop throwing the plates. So his base will cheer, his critics will faint, and the State Department will write a 12-paragraph memo trying to explain it all. But the message will be clear: Neutral beats hostile, and flipping enemies is better than chasing them.

So if it works? The “Middle East Neutrality Pact” becomes a thing, and Trump gets to mock the Nobel Committee for still refusing to consider him for a Peace Prize.

And if it doesn’t? Well, Trump never fails, and a country few Americans can find on a map does.

 (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1060)