As commander-in-chief, with Bolton at his side to bolster his belligerent instincts, Trump could have easily insisted on a more substantial attack. His decision not to do so underscored the underlying import of the missiles he had dispatched and the message that he meant to accompany them. That message was the real lead that Trump buried in his Friday the 13th Address. And it amounts to a Trump Doctrine for the Middle East.

“We cannot purge the world of evil or act everywhere there is tyranny,” Trump averred, in stark contrast to John F. Kennedy’s “pay any price, bear any burden … to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Instead, Trump was intent on downplaying expectations and limiting U.S. engagement: “No amount of American blood or treasure can produce lasting peace and security in the Middle East. It’s a troubled place,” he declared. Trump promised to “try to make it better,” but he repeated: “It is a troubled place.”

Susan Walsh / AP

Like “Crooked Hillary,” “Liddle Marco,” “Lyin’ Ted,” and “Leakin’ Comey,” the Middle East has now been Trump-branded as “a troubled place.” Clearly not somewhere for a great-again-America to invest its energy. By his use of American force, Trump intended to establish a strong deterrent against Assad’s use of chemical weapons, because he declared it to be “a vital national security interest of the United States.” But, this vital interest would remain narrowly defined. By contrast, “the fate of the region,” he explained, “lies in the hands of its own people.”

In other words, there would be no effort to overthrow Assad, or any other Middle Eastern tyrant. To protect the American people, Trump would complete the destruction of ISIS in Syria, “with but a small force.” It would, however, be up to America’s regional friends to “ensure that Iran does not profit from the eradication of ISIS.” Indeed, Trump elaborated, “we have asked our partners to take greater responsibility for securing their home region.” So much for the United States taking the lead in rolling back Iran’s hegemonic gains in the Middle East, as Trump’s scathing criticism of the Iran nuclear deal had implied. Trump has in effect now declared that in the Middle East he will, just like his archrival Obama, lead from behind.

Critics of Trump who argue that the strike on Syrian chemical weapons facilities needs to be part of a broader strategy seem to be deaf to this message, perhaps imagining they can goad him into adopting a more ambitious effort to remake Syria or the broader region in America’s image. But Trump already has a Middle East strategy. It’s just not the one they, and possibly Bolton, would prefer. He will embrace America’s Middle East partners, autocrats and democrats alike, and sell them all the arms they can afford. But it’s their job to assume the burdens of dealing with this troubled place, not his.