Trump in Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump had already given a major hint about the direction of his foreign policy when he chose Saudi Arabia to be the first country he visited as president. Although the US has long bankrolled the Saudis and been one of the largest suppliers of weaponry to the kingdom, the alliance had been strained by the US nuclear deal with Iran. Trump’s visit, and especially the speech he gave, should put an end to any hope of a rapprochement between the US and Iran. He called on Arab countries to isolate Iran and held the country responsible for the rise of global terrorism, even though Iran is strongly opposed to the Islamic State – the militant group that the US is most obsessed with. Trump essentially picked a side in the religious, sectarian and political split that has engulfed the Middle East. For him to give such a provocative speech while in Saudi Arabia was designed to tell the world that the US would continue to be part of the Saudi-led bloc that is fighting in Yemen. For years now, the US has been bankrolling the war in Yemen in support of the repressive government which was overthrown by a rebel group allied to Iran. The ousted Yemeni government and its allies have been accused of targeting civilians and committing war crimes on a massive scale. This makes it also notable that Trump singled out Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations; both are anti-Zionist movements which have longed been opposed by the US and Israel. Trump’s aim is clear: to ensure that no one challenges the hegemony of the US and Israel in the region.

That his speech came just a day after Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz said that terrorism and extremism was started by the 1979 revolution in Iran shows that this was a deliberate move on Iran, one that could further destabilise the region. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump and the Saudi monarch announced $400 billion in deals, including a massive $110 billion agreement for the Saudis to purchase military equipment from the US defence industry. In his rambling speech, Trump made sure to point out that he would get the Saudis the best deal possible from American weapons manufacturers. This is at the heart of the US decision to plant itself firmly on the Saudi side. It is not principled opposition to Iran but an interest in keeping its defence industry rolling in cash. That the US would act out of greed is hardly something new. And that it hardly ever considers its own actions when placing the blame for terrorism is unsurprising as well. The US has never contended with how its decades of support for repressive regimes around the world, its support for Israel and the many wars in places like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan have been instrumental in the rise of terrorism as a result of the breakdown of societies and states. Trump’s visit shows that the US has not learned from its mistakes and is doubling down on the same destructive strategy to maintain its power in the Middle East. But for so many Muslim countries to quietly listen as the man who wants to ban Muslims from coming to the US lectured them about their supposed faults and problems represented an abject surrender. Countries that have been humiliated by Trump now seem to be cheering him on. All of this in hope of getting their share of US contracts and money. But the end result is going to be more war and bloodshed in Yemen, Syria and then the rest of the region.