"All of these presidents brought, at the least, goodwill to the question of how to bring peace to the Middle East. Mr. Trump, in contrast, brings an ingrained suspicion of Islam, which he and some of his advisers consider, not a religious faith, but a threatening ideology."

It does not matter whether the presidents brought goodwill  or not. The fact is that there is less peace in the Middle east than ever. The fact is that any peace that emerges there will be driven by the Arab nations there, not by any outsider, US, Russia, or anyone else. The fact is that Israel is no longer a central player in the region, and is now simply a military existence, that can defend itself and no more. The fact is that Islam has to heal its own rifts before peace will emerge.

Trump will achieve nothing in the Middle East because neither he nor the US is a serious player there.

Yes, the US has been a powerful economic force in many parts of the world, but not militarily ex cept in this continent.