pcr has some ideas about how to sidestep the mid east difficulties; 

President Trump: Seize Your Opportunity to be the Greatest American President in History

Paul Craig Roberts

The violence that has been the primary characteristic of the 21sr century has reached a level of recklessness that threatens life on our planet.  It was only the other day that some unidentified person or agency green-lighted an attack on Russia’s strategic triad.  According to Russian war doctrine, this attack, of which President Trump says he was unaware, requires a Russian strategic response. Putin, being a humane and reasonable person averse to war , side-stepped the issue by declaring the attack to be an act of terrorism and not of war.  It is extraordinary that no one is interested in identifying who so irresponsibly green-lighted  an attack that could have initiated nuclear war.  

How can Washington and the Kremlin be so insouciant and uninterested in a provocation that could have resulted in nuclear war? Whoever green-lighted the attack did not know that Putin would simply not acknowledge that such an attack took place.  Whoever green-lighted the attack was OK with launching a nuclear war. What is to prevent such a thing again happening?

We must be thankful that Putin side-stepped the issue.  But we must also consider the effect of Putin’s side-stepping the attack. The person or agency that authorized the attack must be confident that Russia will never respond to any provocation, and, therefore, the provocations will increase in their intensity.  At some point, it won’t be possible for Putin to side-step the provocation. Thus, Putin might be bringing on the war he hopes to avoid by side-stepping provocations..........more......