The realm of the never tamed crises and conflicts as seen now on governmental and academia’s monitoring radars at the intersection of the recent evolutions regarding the perpetually stronger and diverse military and the branded dissembling diplomacy for the region

Gheorghe DUMITRU, PhD^

THE U.S., THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, CHINA AND TURKEY:
THE QUARTET OF OUTSIDE POWERS WITH ESSENTIAL INTERESTS IN MENA – A CONTINUING TANGIBLE MILITARY FOOTPRINT IN THE REGION, WITH DIPLOMACY SECOND ON THE AGENDA

Motto: “The US is on its way out, Russia is keeping its feet planted in the Middle East and China is growing closer to this region’s heart and has close relations with all parties.”
Al-Ahram Online, Egypt, 15 Oct 2019

The “Traditional American military presence in MENA” – Quo Vadis?

The answer to the question put in the above sub-title would be a simple one: the U.S. is rolling out of the region if one would consider a duality of “presidential statements”:

I. Using his much preferred way of communication, the twitter, President Donald Trump stated that, “The United States has spent eight trillion dollars fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. Going into the middle east is the worst decision ever made in the history of our country! … Now we are slowly & carefully bringing our great soldiers & military home. Our focus is on the big picture! THE USA IS GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE! (@realDonaldTrump, Twitter, 9 oct. 2019).

II. In his 2020 State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump reiterated one of his favorite adage: “It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These (the American soldiers) are war fighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all. As we defend American lives, we are working to end America’s wars in the Middle East. ¹