Trump opens new bridges to the Gulf and Mideast

Arab hospitality is on display since the time Air Force One touched down in Riyadh on Saturday. Why not? The United States under President Donald Trump is making no mistakes, at least on foreign policy, to revive relations with traditional allies, and is envisioning new partnerships in the Middle East. The visit marks the return of the US as a guarantor of peace in the region that was largely abandoned by the Obama administration. By addressing a large gathering of leaders from the region, and stressing on more cordial relations, Trump is setting a fresh tone and attempting a course correction. Obama’s policy of limiting the US footprint in the Middle East arguably fuelled more chaos. Russian interference and presence here has since increased, and an emboldened Iran has unleashed unrest in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain through its proxies. While Obama’s flawed policy gave Iran more ground to manoeuvre, Trump is correct in identifying it as a source of instability in the Middle East. By condemning Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad for committing “unspeakable crimes against humanity” and Iran for contributing to the spiral of violence in Syria, Trump has started on the right foot in the region.

The war against terrorism and extremism cannot be won alone. Yes, the Middle East needs the US, but the US needs the region economically and strategically, too. An arms deal of $110 billion has already been signed by Saudi Arabia and the US. More will materialise in the coming decade as pacts have been signed, signalling deals worth $350 billion. American firms such as Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Blackstone have expressed interest and inked pacts that will create jobs in both countries, transfer knowhow and improve trade ties and innovation. Clearly, Trump’s ‘America first’ approach will work better with dependable allies like the Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia was right in pointing out that this visit is a “turning of the page” in Western-Muslim relations. Both sides win when their interests converge. This visit could herald the coming together of civilisations.