Sunday, May 21, 2017

It’s been four months since President Donald Trump came to power in the United States and has turned conventional Washington thinking on its head. And if there’s one thing that be said about him, it’s that he doesn’t do things in small orders. Consider that since the end of the Second World War, most new US Presidents have traditionally embarked on their first foreign trips to either neighbouring Canada or Mexico — relatively safe destinations where the political risks are few. That’s not the case with President Trump. His first trip is a nine-day mission from Washington to Riyadh, then onto to occupied Jerusalem, onto to Brussels to meet European Union and Nato officials, then to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis I, before wrapping up the trip with the G7 summit in Taormina, Sicily.

What is significant is that President Trump purposefully chose Saudi Arabia as his first stop — sending a loud, clear and unequivocal message that his administration stands 100 per cent behind the leadership in the kingdom and the combined leadership and role of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations in combating extremism, terrorism and radicalised thinking. And it’s a message that should not go unnoticed across the waters of the Arabian Gulf, where President Hassan Rouhani has just won a second term.

President Trump’s visit represents a turning point in relations between the Gulf and Washington. His predecessor, while being a man of many words, acted in a manner that pandered to the dangerous political and sectarian forces in Iran. In welcoming Iran back into the international fold, President Barack Obama inadvertently emboldened Tehran with a belief that its meddling in the affairs of nations from Lebanon and Syria, to Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen was acceptable. President Trump’s warm and cordial ties here in the Gulf, where he was no stranger to doing business before embarking on his political career, has clearly reset relations with the Arab community. His intent of rooting out extremism and once-and-for-all ending the threat of Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is most welcome, and he will find all GCC nations fully supportive and receptive.

There was also a practical end to the Trump mission to Riyadh. Business deals worth $380 billion (Dh1.4 trillion) were signed overall, but the most significant portion is the $110 billion purchase of US defence equipment and services — the largest such deal in US history. Beyond all the symbolism of the Riyadh visit, these deals show Trump, Saudi Arabia and the GCC mean business. And Tehran should take note.

Gulf News

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