When Joe Biden embarked on his maiden trip to the Middle East as president last year, he lauded the fact that it was the first time since the September 11 2001 attacks that a US leader was visiting the region without American troops engaged in combat missions.
He also sought to reset Washington’s ties with traditional partners, promising Arab leaders at a summit in Saudi Arabia that his administration would rebuild trust and “deliver real results”. And, he added, “we will operate in the context of the Middle East as it is today: a region more united than it has been in years”.
If only. This week, Biden made his second presidential visit to a transformed Middle East. Israel, where he landed, is a traumatised nation at war, while its Arab neighbours are gripped by rage, angst and fear. The region is at its most combustible for years.