Qatar-Saudi rift part of turmoil Trump's visit left behind in West Asia

Trump's tour made engagement and dialogue very remote, needs statesmanship and peace prospects

US President Donald Trump made two West Asian countries his first foreign destinations as president. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he participated in three summit meetings – a bilateral with the Saudi ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz; a meeting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); and a third meeting with the leaders of the Islamic world, described as the “Arab-Islamic-US Summit”. From Riyadh, he went to Israel where he visited Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Ten days later, the region presents a picture of disarray, the most visible aspect of it being the rising tension between Qatar on