The Obama administration pursued passive, hesitant and incapable policies in Middle Eastern politics. Indeed, the inconsistent policies of the Obama administration constitute one of the causes behind the failure of the Syrian people in establishing a democratic and prosperous country. While the Arab Spring took its full course, the United States welcomed the legitimate demands of the Syrian people warmly. They even decided to grant arms and monetary aid to the opposition groups through the "Friends of the Syrian People." Yet, the ebb and flow of the American foreign policy led to the prolongation of the Syrian civil war.

In several of my previous columns, I wrote about the incapable and hesitant policies of the Obama administration when the Syrian civil war came to a deadlock, the Syrian refugees shook Europe, and Russia has become the predominant power in the region, especially in Syria in particular.

In the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Turkey and the U.S. on one side and the Syrian regime and Iran on the other constituted the effective leaders of the ongoing political process. While Saudi Arabia has sided with Turkey and the U.S., Russia has taken, through the encouragement of Iran, its strong counter-stance in the Syrian crisis. Swiftly deploying its soldiers, missile systems and battleships, Russia has become the leading power of the Syrian civil war.

Within such an international chess game, the incapable policies of the Obama administration strengthened the rival camps of the U.S.:

l In the face of the inconsistency and hesitancy of the Obama administration, Iran has consolidated its political and military position in Syria.

Abusing the Western paranoia about the possible rise of al-Qaeda in the post-Assad period, Iran succeeded to buy time for the consolidation of its military power in Syria.

Frightened by Iran's anti-Sunni propaganda, the Obama administration could have not supported the Syrian oppositional groups in their own camp.

After the death of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya in 2012, the U.S. seemed to change its foreign policy drastically without informing its allies in the "Friends of the Syrian People."

In the face of Russia's assertive military move towards Syria, the Obama administration remained passive and desperate.

While the Obama administration supported Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Geneva, they also backed the PKK's Syrian offshoot, Democratic Union Party (PYD), established by Iran and the Syrian regime as a military force operating through the Turkish borders.

In the face of the emergence of the murderous Daesh, the Obama administration remained passive once again, as their paranoia about the possible rise of al-Qaeda was replaced by a similar paranoia about the rise of Daesh in the post-Assad period.

Instead of administrating the Syrian crisis, the U.S. remained, under the "leadership" of the Obama administration, a secondary force in the face of the aggressive foreign policies of Iran and Russia.

Abusing the passivity of the U.S., Iran extended its military penetration into the region, while Saudi Arabia has begun to suppress the gulf countries, most notably Yemen. Thus, the fundamentally anti-American Iran has become one the leading powers of the region thanks to the American administration.

Prioritizing the interests of the American people, the Trump administration promised to leave the passive policies of Obama behind. Yet, his decision to heavily arm the PYD allows us to put the following question forward: "Will Donald Trump follow Barrack Obama's lead or implement his own policies in corporation with the true allies of the U.S.?"