US foreign policy shifts focus from Middle East to North Korea

The Trump administration is undergoing a strategic shift in foreign policy, moving focus from the Middle East toward North Korea. This pivot follows months of military actions involving the United States and Iran that failed to produce significant diplomatic progress. Consequently, prediction markets have seen a sharp decline in the perceived likelihood of imminent U.S.-Iran diplomatic meetings, such as those potentially held in the UAE.

In the Middle East, the administration's approach has been characterized by transactional diplomacy and personal connections. Analysts have noted a trend of “neo-royalism,” where policy decisions are increasingly driven by a closed circle of elites rather than formal state institutions like the State Department or the National Security Council.

Financial ties have also become a focal point of regional engagement. Jared Kushner’s fund, Affinity Partners, manages $6.16 billion, with 99 percent of those investments coming from overseas sources including Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the acquisition of a 49-percent stake in World Liberty Financial by UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed has raised questions regarding the intersection of private investment and diplomatic relations.