What America’s allies fear most is not that the United States will back down, but that it no longer knows what it is fighting for, yet refuses to stop.
If the [U.S.-Saudi] nuclear deal hits a deadlock, Riyadh may pivot to alternative suppliers — a shift that would significantly erode American strategic leverage in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump has consistently demonstrated a preference for maintaining control over escalation rather than allowing events to dictate American strategy.