That was quite a whirlwind tour of the Middle East - Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. But before arriving in Saudi Arabia, Trump made a deal with the Houthis, the terrorist group in Yemen. If they stopped attacking U.S. ships in the Gulf, he would stop bombing them. It was disappointing to see that Trump did not insist on the Houthis ceasing their missile attacks on Israel as part of the deal. And Israel was neither invited to any of the meetings with the various Arab leaders, nor was Israel one of the countries visited by Trump.
In Saudi Arabia, there was Trump signing a $600 billion investment deal with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The arms deal was worth $142 billion. And, it certainly looks as if Trump is willing to allow the Saudis to develop civilian use of nuclear energy. Yes, the U.S. has a long history with the Saudis. We protected them, and they provided cheap oil to us. But, I can't help but feeling torn over this. The Saudis were said to have had a hand in 9/11. And they have exported their radical Wahhabism (part of Sunni Islam) to the US and to our educational system.
Under MBS, Saudi control over their population has eased slightly. And Trump did say some things I would expect any U.S. president to say. "I stood here envisioning a Middle East that would eradicate terrorism and extremism, rising as one of the world's proudest, most prosperous and successful regions." And Trump said he would like to see Saudi Arabia in the Abraham Accords, but said to MBS: "you'll do it in your own time."
I wish he had said something like this: "I hope you will not delay in joining the Abraham Accords. It is no secret that Hamas carried out their attacks against Israel on 10/7 in order to affect your decision. Hamas knew that Israel would have to retaliate in a significant way. The damage to Gaza, the deaths of their fellow Arabs - your fellow Arabs - means nothing to them. By delaying your participation in the Abraham Accords, it only encourages Hamas to keep fighting, to the detriment of the people of Gaza. Once you join the Accords, Hamas will have lost the backing of the most important of the Gulf Arab countries."
Trump said to MBS: "I like visiting with you...I really believe we like each other a lot." As I recall watching that, MBS sat there expressionless. I dislike those types of comments. It reminded me of George W. Bush saying: "I looked the man (Putin) in the eye. I found him very straightforward and trustworthy - I was able to get a sense of his soul." No Bush! No Trump! Don't mistake these men for who they are. If you believe that making deals with them is in America's interest, that's one thing. But don't fawn over them. And definitely do not be obsequious.
A similar comment was made by Trump about the new leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was in Saudi Arabia. Trump described him as a "tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter." Why? Al-Sharaa was part of Al-Qaeda. But Trump did say they have a lot of work to do in Syria, and hopes they will then join the Abraham Accords also. In order to encourage movement in that direction, Trump announced that he was lifting sanctions on Syria.
Then Trump went to Qatar. Yes, Qatar is home to the forward base (Al Udeid Air Base) of the U.S. Central Command, which is headquartered in Florida. Trump also signed deals with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Qatar pledged to purchase up to 210 Boeing aircraft (787's and 777x's), valued at $96 billion. Perhaps most concerning is the agreement for Qatar to purchase the MQ-9B reaper drones/pilotless aircraft, as well as advanced counter-drone capabilities.
Let's not be naive. Qatar provides perhaps the major source of funding for Hamas. The same Hamas that killed and took as hostages American citizens. Qatar has also provided a safe haven for the leaders of Hamas. Guess who funds and controls anti-Israel and anti-America news organization (propaganda machine) Al Jazeera? That would be Qatar. Then we have vast amounts of money that Qatar sends to our colleges and universities in support of anti-American and anti-Israel "student" organizations. And we've seen the type of effects that has had in our most elite universities. Let me put this as clearly as possible: Qatar supports terrorism!
Will these deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar have a moderating influence on their governments? Their governments are not democratically elected - they are monarchies. But, Mike - we became friends with Germany and Japan after WWII. Yes, we did. After we defeated them in war, and they were basically at our mercy. I understand the hope that having good economic relations may lead to less wars and less tension in the Middle East. But that's a hope. It does not appear that Trump insisted on any moderating concessions out of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Will economic relations alone be enough to moderate these two countries? I do believe that economic relations can have beneficial effects on countries that are not considered to be free market economies. Or democratically free. In any event, insisting on political change has not usually worked.
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