Aren’t back channels an essential safety valve for diplomacy run amok? I refer you to The Sum of all Fears.
well, if any back channels were set up, the most obvious one would be with the UAE, which was followed by the Saudi visit and the visit to Israel, which led to more aggressive stances by both towards terrorism (and Iran/Yemen) and more cooperation, along with Egypt, amongst them. And, for Saudi, women drivers starting June 2018 as well as the first visit by a Prince to a Coptic church, and for Iran, youth challenging authoritarian rule and Yemen rethinking who their friends are. In six months. Not bad for a single back channel meeting.