Much is being made of the way the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rolling out the red carpet for President Trump – complete with bells, whistles, and gilded displays that appeal more to a visiting Mideast king (i.e., Trump’s ego) than a US president.
This might seem ironic, even self-abnegating – given Trump’s virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric. But there’s existential method to Saudi Arabia’s fawning pageantry:
Among Gulf leaders, enthusiasm for Trump — who looks increasingly embattled at home — is driven by the desire for a like-minded partner in the oil-rich kingdom’s struggle against Iran, its main Middle Eastern rival. That, to Saudi eyes, overrides his record of anti-Islamic rhetoric on the campaign trail, and his attempt to bar some Muslims from entering the U.S. once he took office.
(London Guardian, May 20, 2017)
To be fair, Trump has already demonstrated that much of what he says is just hot air – even if he’s too clueless and self-absorbed to ever realize it. Therefore, the Saudis can be forgiven for paying his anti-Muslim shtick no mind at all.
Not to mention that the Saudis (as godfathers of al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups) have the blood of almost as many Muslims on their hands as the number of Muslims Trump is attempting to “bar.”
Wahhabism is the source of all that is controversial about Islamic fundamentalism. Because this doctrine teaches that all who do not conform to their ascetic and jihadist religious practices are heathens and infidels.
Members of the ruling Saudi Royal family are the world’s most ardent and influential devotees of Wahhabism. The Saudis insist that Wahhabis like Osama bin Laden are rare. But they cannot deny that terrorists of every stripe derive Jihadi justification and inspiration from the madrassas they fund worldwide.
(“Bush’s Smiling Assassin Jailed — Indefinitely,” The iPINIONS Journal, March 2, 2005)
It is also worth mentioning that the Saudis regard Syrian refugees as more of a plague to keep at bay than Trump does.
But the primary reason for their Faustian displays is that Trump has shown no interest in balancing regional interests between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This, for them, stands in reassuring contrast to Obama’s fraught efforts to “reach out to Iran” — highlighted by the transformative deal he forged to halt its nuclear program. Hell, the Saudis are even inviting Trump to lecture their Shura Council on the true meaning of Islam, which is rather like the Americans inviting Putin to lecture their Congress on the true meaning of democracy.
Accordingly, the highlight of Trump’s visit will be striking “the biggest arms deal in history” (reportedly worth $110 billion), as well as other business deals to make (corporate) America rich(er) again.
Incidentally, I doubt Trump will emulate US presidents who wooed Saudi kings with PDAs worthy of school-girl crushes. After all, he doesn’t even show his wife that kind of affection. But his wheeling and dealing will more than make up for not holding hands and blowing kisses – like George W. Bush did so solicitously.
The point is that, given the circumstances, the Saudis would be rolling out the red carpet even for the Devil – if they thought that would ensure not only their everlasting national security, but also their status as the sole guardians of Islam.
Related commentaries:
Bush and the Saudis…
Bush’s smiling assassin…
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