Shandy Race

The big question for 2026 is, will Trump in fact bring peace to the Middle East?

As he has boldly claimed that he will, or perhaps already has.

For the most part, the war is over.

And that has also quieted other fronts for Israel.

But there's still a huge question for what comes next.

Right now, Gaza is split in two between Israel controlling about 50% of the territory and Hamas controlling about 50%.

Unless Hamas disarms and gives up control, there really aren't any clear pathways that I can see that makes things go smoothly.

And if Hamas hasn't disarmed after two years of really, really brutal war, it's hard to see how there's some pressure that the Arab governments are going to magically be able to

to make or that anyone's going to be able to do to pressure Hamas.

President Trump's decision to allow B-2 bombers to drop these massive bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities has contributed to Iran's weakened position in the region.

But Iran certainly hasn't given up on the idea of continuing to try to arm these allies that they have in Yemen, in Lebanon.

Hezbollah, as we know, is not agreeing to disarm.

And the Middle East today is certainly a more peaceful place than it was a year ago, but it is by no means a place where there is peace.

So the question for 2026 will be, can it stay on the road towards getting more and more and more peaceful?

Or will it retreat back into the horrible violence that has gripped it for the last two years?

Thank you.