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Sunday, 21 May 2017

Obama and Trump’s first visits to the Arab world show changes in policy, regional balances

Trump in Riyadh vs. Obama in Cairo: US President Donald Trump choosing to address the Arab world for the first time from Riyadh speaks volumes about the shift in the regional balance of power and the difference between his policies and those of Barack Obama, Amr El Shobaky writes for Al Masry Al Youm. Whereas Obama chose to appeal to the general populace in his Cairo University speech, Trump is clearly more leader-oriented as he maintains a business mindset that pays little attention to those not in power, El Shobaky says. Trump choosing KSA as the country from which he will set the tone for the Arab world is also indicative of the shifting regional power balance from Cairo to Riyadh that is largely the result of Egypt losing much of its economic and soft power post-2011.

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