Middle East unrest

From the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel to the "ultimatum" which could spell an end to the landmark Iran nuclear deal, Trump's policies on the Middle East involved highly controversial decisions, adding turmoil to the region.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently claimed that the US has chosen to disqualify itself from playing a role in the peace process.

"They have proved their full bias in favor of Israel," Abbas said.

Meanwhile, a formidable group of regional powers, including Turkey, Iran and Jordan, have voiced their rejection of the US role in the Israeli-Palestinian talks, while the US is crafting its Middle East policy.

On the Iran nuclear deal, European countries complained that Trump has taken no positive action despite his efforts to solicit support from Europe. Those who oppose the accord should come up with a better solution and "we haven't seen it so far", said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Prospects for peace and US national security interests in the Middle East have been dampened following Trump's decisions, said US foreign policy experts Hady Amr and Arsalan Suleman.

"As the global fallout over Trump's unilateral decision continues to spread, it is increasingly obvious that the Trump administration failed to anticipate the full scope of negative global reaction and has been caught flat-footed in response," wrote Amr and Suleman in an article posted on the website of US think tank Brookings.

"America First", a strategy which Trump has been touting since his presidential campaign, is believed to be the motive for the president's controversial actions.

The "America First" strategy is a more aggressive projection of US power, said Nile Gardiner, director of the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.

Xinhua