"As the saying goes, when two elephants fight, it’s the grass that gets hurt, so in the confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it seems like Lebanon is the grass," says Mehrzad Boroujerdi, professor of political science.

"If President Trump and his advisers can out-think and out-strategize [Putin] in order to get Russia to provide some useful assistance in changing North Korea’s nuclear program, then it could be a win for the president, but it’s high-risk to say the least," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.