When Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz—no conservative by any stretch—credits President Trump with achieving what Obama and Biden couldn’t in the Middle East, Americans should take notice. Trump’s successful hostage deal didn’t happen by accident or luck. It happened because he understood a fundamental truth that eight years of Democratic foreign policy catastrophically ignored: peace comes through strength, not endless appeasement.
The contrast couldn’t be starker. While Obama publicly berated Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Biden withheld military aid to pressure our closest Middle Eastern ally, Trump took the opposite approach. He united with Israel, allowing them to systematically weaken Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran before bringing diplomatic pressure to bear. The result? Hamas released hostages without America making the kind of humiliating concessions that defined previous administrations.
“Trump got the deal that Obama and Biden didn’t because he united with Israel to pressure Hamas,” Dershowitz observed, highlighting a strategic approach that prioritized results over the globalist obsession with moral equivalency. This wasn’t just smart diplomacy—it was constitutional foreign policy in action, with the executive branch leading decisively while Congress maintained its proper oversight role.
The economic implications extend far beyond the immediate success. Obama’s Iran nuclear deal shipped pallets of cash to Tehran while empowering the regime that funds Hamas and Hezbollah. Biden’s approach of publicly disagreeing with Israel while privately trying to restrain their military operations sent mixed signals that emboldened terrorists and prolonged conflict. Trump’s unified strategy eliminated the need for such costly and ineffective measures.
Consider the broader strategic picture. A weakened Iran-Hamas-Hezbollah axis means reduced threats to global energy markets that directly impact American gas prices and supply chains. It means fewer long-term military commitments draining taxpayer resources. Most importantly, it demonstrates to allies worldwide that partnership with America under strong leadership delivers tangible security results.
This success validates the Founders’ vision of American foreign policy—principled engagement backed by unmistakable strength. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 8 that “the fiery and destructive passions of war reign in the human breast with much more powerful sway than the mild and beneficent sentiments of peace.” Trump understood this reality; his predecessors chose to ignore it.
The constitutional framework proved superior to the multilateral bureaucratic approaches favored by the foreign policy establishment. While Obama and Biden sought approval from European allies who contribute minimal military resources, Trump focused on coordination with Israel—a democracy that shares American values and bears the primary burden of regional defense.
The intelligence community’s resistance to Trump’s approach now looks particularly foolish. Remember the warnings about “destabilizing” the region by moving the American embassy to Jerusalem or eliminating Iranian General Soleimani? Those same voices promoted the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal and predicted that supporting Israeli military operations would lead to wider war. They were wrong then, and their preferred candidates’ failures prove it.
This diplomatic victory exposes the fundamental bankruptcy of globalist foreign policy that prioritizes process over results. When America leads from strength, supports democratic allies unequivocally, and maintains strategic clarity about friends versus enemies, we achieve more with less cost and risk. When we apologize, appease, and treat allies like adversaries, we get the chaos of the Obama-Biden years.
Patriots should recognize this success as validation of America First principles in international affairs. We don’t need to police every corner of the globe, but when American interests and values align with strong allies, decisive support yields better results than hesitant half-measures.
The question now is whether this momentum can reshape broader Middle East dynamics, reducing American military commitments while strengthening our position against China and other strategic competitors. If Trump’s first term achievements are any indication, American leadership—properly exercised with constitutional authority and strategic wisdom—remains the world’s most effective force for stability and prosperity.
That’s a lesson worth remembering as America chooses its path forward.
