Loading ...An Ill-Timed Trump Visit to the Arab states
By: Ghassan Rubeiz / Arab America Contributing Writer
In mid-May, President Trump will be making his first visit abroad, aside from his appearance at the Pope’s funeral in the Vatican. Of all places, he is choosing to visit Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Qatar. One wonders how any Arab state could welcome a leader who has shown such hostility toward the Muslim and Arab world.
Over the past year and a half, Gaza has been allowed to become an almost insoluble catastrophe, with the complicity of President Trump (and of President Biden before him, to be fair). How can the leaders of the three Arab Gulf states host, let alone do business, with a man who claims to be “on the same side of every issue” as the architect of this disaster?
The answer is simple: The White House is rewarding the three oil-rich Arab countries that continue to seek American-led geopolitical security and lucrative US investment opportunities. Trump wants to maximize Arab investment in the US by selling expensive weapons rather than supporting local industrial projects to promote self-reliance and national empowerment. He is even considering helping Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) build a controversial nuclear energy program, which could lead to the awkward spectacle of Trump trying to start a nuclear program in Saudi Arabia while trying to end one in Iran.
The way nations think of their own security says a lot. Outsourcing national security to the Western powers has been an Arab Gulf policy for too long. If the citizens of these vulnerable states are unconvinced that America is a reliable political partner, they may eventually, not now, rebel against their rulers and shift their loyalties elsewhere. The more natural way to achieve national security in the Arab Gulf is through regional and international cooperation and free societies.
The ongoing nuclear talks with Iran are delicate, but if sanctions can be lifted, the talks could pave the way for other cooperative agreements across the Gulf and the entire Middle East. This would discourage the proliferation of stateless entities, encourage deeper diplomatic relations with Arab Gulf states, and eventually integrate Iran, and possibly Israel, into the Middle East.
Against this backdrop, Trump’s visit is ill-timed; its motives are questionable; and it may add confusion to an already volatile region. Now, I would rather see the US president visit or host China.
Ghassan Rubeiz is the former Middle East Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Earlier, he taught psychology and social work in his country of birth, Lebanon, and later in the United States, where he currently lives. He has contributed to political commentary for the past twenty years and delivered occasional public talks on peace, justice, and interfaith subjects. You can reach him at rubeizg@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.
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