Donald Trump’s final stop in Abu Dhabi is right on theme, with the President’s grand overhaul of American foreign policy.
“We are done with the age of nation-building”, he told the U.S.-Saudi establishment in Riyadh on Tuesday evening.
Such a message received a standing oviation across Gulf capitals, as Trump continues to build on his first term success.
First Term Wonders
In 2020, the president alongside the UAE leveraged the “deal of the century”: the Abraham Accords.
In true fashion, the Accords leveraged peace through the boardroom rather than boots on the ground.
Often framed as a peace agreement, the accords should be interpreted as a blueprint for economic normalisation with the added benefit of peace via diplomacy.
Sign a deal, write the cheque, and watch business take-off. After all, business encourages people-to-people ties and truth be told… the numbers don’t lie.
Between 2020-2025, capital ties between the two countries has grown exponentially since the Abraham Accords. Trade is booming between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, with a surge in Israeli exports to the UAE from 73.9m (2020) to 504m (2024).
Peace can happen two ways: multilateral agreements via the UN or unilateral agreements where business comes first, social capital takes off, and peace takes hold: slowly but surely.
The latter is the Gulf’s way of ‘doing business’, one that is finding synergy with the American president albeit with the end goal for peace.
Correcting the Course of U.S. Overreach
Bipartisanship aside, Trump’s diagnosis of America’s foreign policy overreach hits home.
From Libya to Yemen, Washington’s interventions have often produced chaos. Obama’s removal of Qaddafi plunged Libya into years of civil war.
The Stockholm Agreement, signed under UN auspices, did little but entrench Houthi power in Yemen.
Biden, despite promises of a human rights–centered foreign policy, gave Netanyahu carte blanche in Gaza while alienating Gulf allies with arms restrictions and moral lecturing.
Therefore, Trump’s approach is different. Not perfect, but effective within its paradigm: stability through business, not ideology. He trades lectures for leverage, using commercial ties as the anchor of peace and regional realignment.
Expansion of Abraham Accords
Trump’s return to Abu Dhabi signals the next phase.
On this latest tour, the president is looking to deepen regional integration: AI, defence, energy, real estate.
Trump’s pitch is simple: let the U.S. and its allies co-invest in the future of Gaza, Lebanon, and even Syria on the condition of broader normalisation.
This emerging architecture reframes U.S.-GCC relations, whilst U.S.-Israel ties, once the anchor, take a backseat to new priorities for the White House: Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia is watching closely. While public sentiment still hinders full normalization, Riyadh is aligned on one thing: a two-state solution.
Yet the difference lies in method; Abu Dhabi prefers discreet economic ties to gradually shift the equation.
Riyadh, custodian of Mecca and Medina, approaches the issue with more caution, seeking timing that aligns with domestic and religious sensibilities.
Same Aims, Different Styles
Abu Dhabi and Riyadh both seek the same goals on Israel-Palestine: a two-state solution.
However, both capitals aim to achieve it differently. Abu Dhabi hopes to achieve a two-state solution via discreet business ties, privately exerting pressure on Israel, whilst the U.S. president leads on any public future peace plan in Gaza.
Abu Dhabi’s decision to break tradition, by being the first major Arab player to normalise with Tel Aviv, demonstrated it’s bold ambition.
Emirati sources familiar, with Israeli-Emirati normalisation, note that normalisation between both sides has been a longstanding development. It is the "new reality" with business thriving, however, whether Israel has kept to the terms of it's agreement with Abu Dhabi is the "true question."
Both states have the same goals yet differ in styles. Abu Dhabi is being rewarded for the depths of its partnership, criss-crossing defence, tech, energy, and of course diplomacy, with Trump already eyeing up a future ‘deal’ on Israel-Palestine during his final term in office.
Yet the ultimate legacy of the Abraham Accords 2.0 won’t be counted in trade figures alone. The real test is whether Trump’s business of peace can deliver progress on the Palestinian question.
Saudi, Qatar on Catch-Up
For now, the goals remain the same, but the UAE is finding a true partner in Trump’s America as it edges out Riyadh and Doha using a different kind of business by diplomacy.
Riyadh will be watching closely as Abu Dhabi leads favourably in the race to be America’s closest partner in the region.
Abu Dhabi will also be keeping a eye on Trump as the president seeks to solve the Palestinian question.
Business is diplomacy in the Gulf; a language Trump understands. Abu Dhabi’s style of diplomacy and decision to break the ‘taboo’, on Israel, continues to be recognised under this administration.
Its legacy will reconfigure US-GCC ties as much as it will shape U.S. influence across the region.
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