s he orated against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan often quoted from Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, with his vision of a United States great enough “to begin the world over again.” It seems that his two Republican successors, George W Bush at the very onset of the new millennium, and lately Donald J Trump, have messed up so much to begin the world all over again. In doing so, the former turned it upside down. The latter is now sparing no effort to turn the world upside down as well as inside out.

President Trump is thick-skinned on criticism of his policies and thin-skinned on perceived personal slight. That makes him a poor politician and a bad diplomat. He never looked at foreign policy in terms of America’s worldwide interests, but only as a profit-driven business transaction. As a businessman, his instincts of expediency and opportunism made bullying attractive. To start with, he made trade tariffs a ruthless weapon to intimidate rivals.

It appeared that he didn’t understand geopolitics and made America’s worldwide interests a family affair. During his first term, he identified India as a market he had to cash in. In Prime Minister Modi, he found a partner with similar greed. In August 2019, Modi showing similar disregard for ethical concerns, abrogated Article 370/ 35-A of the Indian constitution, ending the special status of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Next, Trump fell for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ‘Greater Israel’ stratagem.

Under pressure from Netanyahu, he scrapped the nuclear deal with Iran that had been signed in Vienna in July 2015, after lengthy negotiations by the so-called P-5+1 Group (US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany). The deal involved a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action binding Iran on uranium enrichment with verifications and inspections before any sanctions relief. In another ill-conceived move, he recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This was a departure from long-standing US policy and a blatant violation of UN resolutions.

Leaders from the Arab and Muslim worlds as well as from the wider international community were swift to condemn the move as “a dangerous measure that would have repercussions” across the region.

President Trump’s Board of Peace plan to convert Gaza into a ‘resort’ has not worked. He has also launched an ugly war against the Islamic Republic of Iran with perilous ramifications for the entire world. It is a war of choice for the US and Israel. For Iran, it is a war of survival. Now that Iran has resisted the aggression with courage and resilience, Donald Trump stands isolated, domestically as well as globally. No significant country in the world, even Europe, has supported him on the wrong war.

President Trump has debilitated the entire multilateral system, including the United Nations and its Security Council. A spiral of conflict is raging across the Middle East. Things have come to the point that alarm bells are ringing from the Maghreb to the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf. Pakistan’s position throughout this crisis has been consistent with its Middle East policy. As a major foreign policy constant, if does not take sides in disputes between Muslim states. Under Article 40 of its constitution, it is obliged to maintain solidarity with Muslim countries and causes.

Pakistan has fraternal relations with all countries in the Muslim world. The only role it can have is one of a peacemaker. After President Trump gave a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan tried for a temporary ceasefire as part of its “two-stage plan” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, followed by a permanent end to the war. On April 6, in an unusual briefing, President Trump sent mixed messages about escalating the war with senseless threats to send Iran back to “the stone ages.” He also threatened strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges.

Iran wanted reparations for war damages; lifting of sanctions; and removal of US bases from Gulf countries in lieu of a definitive end of war. While Trump was adamant in his aggressive rhetoric, Iran made it clear that the region will return to normalcy only with durable peace.

President Trump’s behaviour is a wake-up call to the Muslim world. It must take control of its destiny.

A NATO-like Muslim entity can end the security vacuum in the world. There had been similar fears in the post-WWII Europe about the role of Germany but those were overcome through regional cooperation. The Muslim countries must similarly rise above their fears and come together to build bridges of trust and common interest. The solution to this quandary comes from within the region, not outside it.

Major Islamic countries, including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Iraq and three key GCC States, namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, must develop their defence capabilities to claim their rightful place in global decision-making.

The writer is a former foreign secretary.