Lebanese geopolitical commentator Sarah Abdallah wrote about Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia: “Going to Saudi Arabia to combat extremism, terrorism and violence is like going to McDonalds in the hope of finding a healthy lunch.” Indeed, the situation was summed up in a fitting way.
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American foreign policy is known to be the most hypocritical in the world. The cherry on the cake has been its alliance with Saudi Arabia. How the so-called leader of the free world has for one of its most important allies an undemocratic regime which denies basic human rights to its citizens, and that too in the name of religion, has baffled many through the ages. Of late, the kingdom has been described as an oil-rich version of the Islamic State.
The Americans have a history of supporting brutal dictatorial regimes across the world. But if Saudi Arabia was only another one of them, it would have been understandable, at least to a certain extent. The truth is that in the case of Saudi Arabia, brutality and autocracy are only the tip of the iceberg.
Saudi Arabia has a monopoly over global terrorism. The oil-rich kingdom has for many years now used its petrodollars to spread Islam all over the world. An important element in their grand vision of things has been terrorism. Whether it is the Indian sub-continent, south-east Asia or Africa, Islamic terror organizations are mostly funded by the Saudis.
The Syrian conflict and other conflicts in the Middle-East, which have resulted in hordes of immigrants taking their culture with them and landing up on European shores, have been fueled by the Saudis. The Americans put on the façade of taking terrorism and extremism seriously, while their best buddy on the geopolitical arena runs amok.
A leaked report of the American government points at the role of Saudi Arabia in the 9/11 attacks. According to it, at least two of the Saudi hijackers were in contact with a Saudi ambassador who belonged to the royal family. Massive money was transferred by him to the hijackers. It is believed that the American government attempted to thwart the investigations, and the report was suppressed as well. The alliance with the oil-rich kingdom had to be protected at all costs. And while the conspiracy it seems was hatched in Saudi Arabia and Osama Bin Laden was found in Pakistan, Afghanistan was made to bear the brunt of America’s wrath.
When Donald Trump, first as a candidate and then as president initially, vowed to wipe out radical Islam from the face of the earth, the main target should have been amply clear. It’s quite simple really- one cannot defeat radical Islam by being a policeman in various conflict zones as long the headquarters holds an endless supply of wealth and resources.
On his maiden foreign trip, president Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and Vatican. The last two are likely to earn him brownie points among his god-fearing voter base. But his visit to the source of radical Islam after vowing to wipe it out comes as a disappointment.
The blanket Muslim ban that Trump promised to impose as a measure to tackle radical Islam was an interesting initiative. If not for anything else, at least it would have sent out the right message. The important measure the Trump administration took though was the ratification of the Keystone pipeline. When up and running, it will reduce American energy dependence on the Muslim world. But ever since, Trump seems to have backed off completely.
The aggression he displayed initially seems increasingly curtailed. With the likes of Steve Bannon on their way out, and Trump going back on his word and attacking Syria, it seems the deep state that thrives on violence and insecurity around the world has gotten to Trump.
Reports have now emerged that the Americans are pushing the Saudis into a billion-dollar arms deal. This will only strengthen the kingdom’s resolve. Trump’s initial enthusiasm to combat radical Islam seems to have backfired. The deep state, or perhaps Trump’s own hypocrisy, has emerged at the forefront to perpetuate the status-quo. The kingdom is a ticking time-bomb. It seemed as if Trump had realized the same, but things have changed now.