Every Era Has a Superstar
Al-Ahram, Egypt, April 3
Every era in history has its superstar, and in our time, that role is occupied by Donald Trump, who has become the gravitational center of global events and political positions. Like any dominant celestial body, Trump has his orbiting moons, and two stand out: Elon Musk and Steve Witkoff.
The first is envisioned as the man who will bring efficiency to the federal government; the second, remarkably, has been tasked with nothing less than securing global peace. Witkoff, a real estate mogul, has been authorized by the president to lead negotiations on two of the world’s most pressing crises: the war in Gaza and the war in Ukraine. Virtually overnight, he became a star in his own right—though one cut from a very different cloth than previous diplomatic heavyweights like Henry Kissinger or James Baker.
Witkoff hails not from the traditional foreign policy establishment but from the elite circles of business and real estate, mirroring the background of the man who elevated him to prominence. In a revealing television interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff, visibly moved, admitted that Trump is the inspiration behind his negotiating style, expressing his lifelong admiration for the president and his desire to emulate him.
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It was a moment that encapsulated the profound transformation underway in American governance. The nation’s most sensitive and high-stakes negotiations are no longer being helmed by the State Department, the National Security Council, or even the CIA, but by a businessman accustomed to closing property deals rather than shaping geopolitical outcomes.
Witkoff’s appointment also reflects the broader character of the new administration’s approach to both domestic and foreign policy—an urgent push to distill issues down to their perceived essence, with little patience for nuance or institutional process. At home, where Elon Musk’s influence is increasingly pronounced, a staggering 132 lawsuits have already been filed in US courts in just two months, some raising fundamental constitutional questions.
Abroad, under Witkoff’s purview, the war in Gaza has escalated, becoming even more brutal and unrelenting. In Ukraine, while there is a push for a ceasefire and a Ukrainian withdrawal from the contested Kursk Oblast, Russia has offered only a limited concession: an agreement to avoid targeting power infrastructure.
What is most concerning for our region, however, is that Witkoff appears to lack a basic understanding of the Middle East and its intricate dynamics. It is evident that he does not have a specialized advisory team to brief him with critical knowledge or context. His comments on Egypt, in particular, revealed a glaring level of ignorance that underscored the dangerous implications of entrusting such delicate affairs to someone so ill-prepared.
Abdel Moneim Saeed (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
