The US-GCC relations

The new US President Donald Trump had made controversial statements about US foreign relations, including those with EU members, China, and Russia, in addition to UK’s exclusion of the EU, real estate relations with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), relations with the Arab world and Israel, the Iranian nuclear reactor and his attitude from the 5+1 agreement. As former president Barack Obama himself asserted, the new president is an exception compared to all his predecessors in terms of wealth, assets, real estate experience inside and outside the US, adding that all this will have a significant impact on his decisions.

Involvement in forming a new cabinet in a presidential system have consumed most of the time during Trump’s first days as president, especially regarding the foreign affairs and defense departments, which are considered the top two positions symbolizing America’s status as a major power and a permanent member in the UN Security Council that accordingly has a great impact on international peace and security.

Constant West-East competition between the US and its rivals; Russia and China, call the new president for more self-restraint, and avoid being dragged into competition, especially in several cases that had been so often associated with the possibility of a World War III and major powers demonstration of strength in Syria, East China, the Philippines and exchanging sanctions and economic restrictions.

Back to our Arab World, the GCC wealth has been brought up so often, especially that of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Trump had claimed that those countries would have never existed if it was not for the United States’ protection, adding that those states have to pay off a great part of America’s trillions-worth debts.

On one hand, America’s friendship and alliance with GCC states are deep-rooted and go way back to the 19th century. But on the other, I believe that such ancient deep-rooted relations were not for free. They were made according to normal relations among friends and allies with trillions of dollars spent on armament and other sectors. These relations also involved several important stops in international energy, which needs to be stabilized on major powers’ chess tables that never remain still.