Trump Pitches Nile Dam Mediation, Ignores Past Failures When Rivers Ran Red
The New Arab reports that Trump is ready to restart US mediation, echoing his previous attempts at resolving the GERD dispute, which notably failed to produce a lasting agreement during his presidency. One might recall his administration's unique approach to diplomacy, where 'deals' often involved strong-arming one party for the benefit of another, or simply for photo-ops. This latest offer comes
from the man who famously pushed the 'Deal of the Century' for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—a plan so lopsided it was rejected before the ink was dry, pouring gasoline on an already burning region. Given that track record, one might wonder if a Trump-brokered Nile agreement would involve Ethiopia getting all the water and Egypt being told to 'just deal with it.' Perhaps the 'Art of the Deal'
in international relations means whoever yells loudest, or has the biggest golf course, wins. How many times must the world endure a repeat performance of 'peace' initiatives that leave everyone worse off before we understand that some offers of mediation are just more political theater?