Recent images of President Donald Trump in the Middle East have already been etched into history books. Trump flew first to Israel, where he addressed the Knesset in an emotional speech , and then to Egypt, where, amidst handshakes and smiles, he met with the leaders of the Arab and Muslim world. In both places, his interlocutors signed on to the peace plan, put forward by the American president, that ended, at least for now, a two-year long war and returned the living hostages to Israel.

The scenes in both countries testify both to the projection of American power and to the unconventional style of Trump’s diplomacy: personal, pragmatic, if hyperbolic. His leadership approach is very American. But it is also very Roman, and that is of more than antiquarian interest.

The Romans prized

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