US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just completed a swing through parts of the Middle East, apparently without too much success in convincing his hosts to make like the United Arab Emirates and move toward normalization with Israel.
His itinerary did not include Riyadh, toward which smaller Gulf states often look before they themselves jump. In addition, there is the matter of F-35 stealth fighters, which the US now wishes to sell to the Emirates despite strong objections from Israel.
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But was there progress, at least behind the scenes?
Dr. Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and follows the matter with keen interest. The Media Line’s Lawrence Rifkin spoke with him for some insight.