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LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKazakhstan's industrial and mining monotownsBRASIL WIRENathália Urban Presente!MAIL & GUARDIANMalawi’s hospital crackdown ignites legal firestormTHE DIPLOMATWhy Trump Should Make China-US Relations Great AgainMAIL & GUARDIANTolashe faces second wave of criminal complaints as DA enters SUV probeBRASIL WIREMinister warns of “industrial-scale” organized disinformation campaign, hindering disaster effortsMAIL & GUARDIANA community reckoning on the Senqu Bridge launch on 22 April 2026THE DIPLOMATA US Strategy For Defending Taiwan – Before a WarTHE DIPLOMATA Good Ban, Done Wrong: How to Accelerate Lasting and Just Solutions Amid Bali’s Waste CrisisTHE INDEPENDENTFour people in critical condition after two trains collide in northern DenmarkTHE GUARDIANTrump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to CongoLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEApril: the longer viewLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEJustice: under pressureTHE DIPLOMATWhere Is the China-Honduras Relationship 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are reshaping access to financeTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Trump says there is ‘no timeframe’ for ending conflict as standoff in Strait of Hormuz continuesBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREInside Brazil’s X Ban: How Elon Musk Started–and lost–a Fight With Brazil’s JudiciaryLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKurdish women's struggle for gender equality – and much else besidesLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKazakhstan's industrial and mining monotownsBRASIL WIRENathália Urban Presente!MAIL & GUARDIANMalawi’s hospital crackdown ignites legal firestormTHE DIPLOMATWhy Trump Should Make China-US Relations Great AgainMAIL & GUARDIANTolashe faces second wave of criminal complaints as DA enters SUV probeBRASIL WIREMinister warns of “industrial-scale” organized disinformation campaign, hindering disaster effortsMAIL & GUARDIANA community reckoning on the Senqu Bridge launch on 22 April 2026THE DIPLOMATA US Strategy For Defending Taiwan – Before a WarTHE DIPLOMATA Good Ban, Done Wrong: How to Accelerate Lasting and Just Solutions Amid Bali’s Waste CrisisTHE INDEPENDENTFour people in critical condition after two trains collide in northern DenmarkTHE GUARDIANTrump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to CongoLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEApril: the longer viewLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEJustice: under pressureTHE DIPLOMATWhere Is the China-Honduras Relationship Headed?THE DIPLOMATHow Bonded Labor Fuels Illegal Organ Harvesting in PakistanTHE GUARDIANBritish woman died in Ghana trying to recoup money from scammers, inquest toldTHE INDEPENDENTMan dies after being hit by bus at Dublin AirportLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEThis is Israel's warBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotTHE GUARDIANCharlize Theron joins chorus of disapproval over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet commentsTHE GUARDIANHeatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report findsMAIL & GUARDIANA tale of two Middle East voyagesTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Moscow’s battlefield gains grind to a halt with forces making ‘worst progress in two years’THE INDEPENDENTUS Navy chief John Phelan ousted from Trump administration as Strait of Hormuz stand-off continuesTHE GUARDIANTaiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini tripMAIL & GUARDIANCapitec at 25: how scale, trust and practical innovation are reshaping access to financeTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Trump says there is ‘no timeframe’ for ending conflict as standoff in Strait of Hormuz continuesBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREInside Brazil’s X Ban: How Elon Musk Started–and lost–a Fight With Brazil’s JudiciaryLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKurdish women's struggle for gender equality – and much else besidesLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKazakhstan's industrial and mining monotownsBRASIL WIRENathália Urban Presente!MAIL & GUARDIANMalawi’s hospital crackdown ignites legal firestormTHE DIPLOMATWhy Trump Should Make China-US Relations Great AgainMAIL & GUARDIANTolashe faces second wave of criminal complaints as DA enters SUV probeBRASIL WIREMinister warns of “industrial-scale” organized disinformation campaign, hindering disaster effortsMAIL & GUARDIANA community reckoning on the Senqu Bridge launch on 22 April 2026THE DIPLOMATA US Strategy For Defending Taiwan – Before a WarTHE DIPLOMATA Good Ban, Done Wrong: How to Accelerate Lasting and Just Solutions Amid Bali’s Waste CrisisTHE INDEPENDENTFour people in critical condition after two trains collide in northern DenmarkTHE GUARDIANTrump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to CongoLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEApril: the longer viewLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEJustice: under pressureTHE DIPLOMATWhere Is the China-Honduras Relationship Headed?THE DIPLOMATHow Bonded Labor Fuels Illegal Organ Harvesting in PakistanTHE GUARDIANBritish woman died in Ghana trying to recoup money from scammers, inquest toldTHE INDEPENDENTMan dies after being hit by bus at Dublin AirportLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEThis is Israel's warBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotTHE GUARDIANCharlize Theron joins chorus of disapproval over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet commentsTHE GUARDIANHeatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report findsMAIL & GUARDIANA tale of two Middle East voyagesTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Moscow’s battlefield gains grind to a halt with forces making ‘worst progress in two years’THE INDEPENDENTUS Navy chief John Phelan ousted from Trump administration as Strait of Hormuz stand-off continuesTHE GUARDIANTaiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini tripMAIL & GUARDIANCapitec at 25: how scale, trust and practical innovation are reshaping access to financeTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Trump says there is ‘no timeframe’ for ending conflict as standoff in Strait of Hormuz continuesBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREInside Brazil’s X Ban: How Elon Musk Started–and lost–a Fight With Brazil’s JudiciaryLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKurdish women's struggle for gender equality – and much else besidesLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKazakhstan's industrial and mining monotownsBRASIL WIRENathália Urban Presente!MAIL & GUARDIANMalawi’s hospital crackdown ignites legal firestormTHE DIPLOMATWhy Trump Should Make China-US Relations Great AgainMAIL & GUARDIANTolashe faces second wave of criminal complaints as DA enters SUV probeBRASIL WIREMinister warns of “industrial-scale” organized disinformation campaign, hindering disaster effortsMAIL & GUARDIANA community reckoning on the Senqu Bridge launch on 22 April 2026THE DIPLOMATA US Strategy For Defending Taiwan – Before a WarTHE DIPLOMATA Good Ban, Done Wrong: How to Accelerate Lasting and Just Solutions Amid Bali’s Waste CrisisTHE INDEPENDENTFour people in critical condition after two trains collide in northern DenmarkTHE GUARDIANTrump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to CongoLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEApril: the longer viewLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEJustice: under pressureTHE DIPLOMATWhere Is the China-Honduras Relationship Headed?THE DIPLOMATHow Bonded Labor Fuels Illegal Organ Harvesting in PakistanTHE GUARDIANBritish woman died in Ghana trying to recoup money from scammers, inquest toldTHE INDEPENDENTMan dies after being hit by bus at Dublin AirportLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEThis is Israel's warBRASIL WIREAnalysis: NYT’s bizarre coverage and omissions of Bolsonaro’s murderous coup plotTHE GUARDIANCharlize Theron joins chorus of disapproval over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet commentsTHE GUARDIANHeatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report findsMAIL & GUARDIANA tale of two Middle East voyagesTHE INDEPENDENTUkraine-Russia war latest: Moscow’s battlefield gains grind to a halt with forces making ‘worst progress in two years’THE INDEPENDENTUS Navy chief John Phelan ousted from Trump administration as Strait of Hormuz stand-off continuesTHE GUARDIANTaiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini tripMAIL & GUARDIANCapitec at 25: how scale, trust and practical innovation are reshaping access to financeTHE INDEPENDENTIran-US war latest: Trump says there is ‘no timeframe’ for ending conflict as standoff in Strait of Hormuz continuesBRASIL WIREBolsonaro Takes Stand in Coup TrialBRASIL WIREInside Brazil’s X Ban: How Elon Musk Started–and lost–a Fight With Brazil’s JudiciaryLE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUEKurdish women's struggle for gender equality – and much else besides

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The Informal Power Network and Trump’s Personal Diplomacy

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The Informal Power Network and Trump’s Personal Diplomacy

Donald Trump’s statements in his recent interview with TIME magazine reveal the contours of an informal power network that bypasses traditional U.S. government institutions and shapes aspects of Washington’s Middle East policy.

During the 2024 campaign, Trump remained in contact with Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the Mar-a-Lago resort in July of that year. TIME reports: “It was an open secret that Netanyahu was rooting for Trump’s return to the White House as President Joe Biden pressured him to halt the onslaught on Gaza.” Speaking about Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and Syria, Trump interrupted to say:

“All of those attacks were done under my auspices, you know, with Israel doing the attacks—with the pagers and all that stuff.” This statement suggests the existence of a broader network of interests beyond the formal administration—a deep network involving financiers, media figures, arms companies, and security contractors, along with regional political allies who saw Trump as a guarantor of their interests, particularly in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Since his first term, Trump has managed foreign policy like a business deal. He handed the Middle East file to his son-in-law Jared Kushner without an official title, while Ivanka Trump represented Washington at sensitive events such as the embassy opening in Jerusalem.

“The most important thing is they have to respect the President of the United States. The Middle East has to understand that. It’s almost the President more than the country.” — Trump to TIME. This approach created a form of personal diplomacy parallel to institutional channels, driven more by trust and interests than by protocol. Through it, Trump maintained communications with regional leaders even outside of office, paving the way for what was later called the “peace deal.”

At its core, this appears to be more than the influence of one man—it is a structure of informal power that preserves its interests through individuals and networks, not through administrations.