Trump’s Saudi Arabia visit a public relations exercise

ISLAMABAD: Donald Trump came to Saudi Arabia to undertake a full scale public relations exercise to mend his own image as leader of the United States generally disliked in the streets of Muslim world due to his anti-Islam elections campaign rhetoric.

Through his speech In Riyadh, the US administration tried to sell a more acceptable public face to the Muslim world. How well it was taken could be any body’s guess -- generally Muslims see America as part of the problem, not solution in this part of the world.  So a lot of guarded approach as Muslim opinion at large would like to see the American president backing up his ideas and rhetoric not with words but with deeds.

Trump started his Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, speech in front of 50-plus Arab-Islamic heads of state and government claiming he doesn’t intend to lecture them. In essence, it became a loud and clear lecture-cum-sermon against extremism and terrorism in Islamic world, carefully worded but stern and strong and filled with ‘do more demand’ from Arab-Muslim countries to share more responsibility to root out extremism and terrorism.

Unlike the Saudi King who read out his opening written speech, Trump tried to look a bit natural by reading a well rehearsed speech through a tele-prompter that earned a half earned clap from the conference room filled with Muslim heads of state and government. Iran, Syria were excluded from the gathering by design as most of the wrath of US and especially Saudi Arabian leadership was directed against Iran and its affiliates in the region. 

Trump used the occasion to deliver a loud and clear message that US, Saudi Arabia and allied GCC countries stood firmly against Iran’s regional designs. That naturally couldn’t resonate fully well amongst other non-Arab attendants.  Trump didn’t mince words demonising Iran and its regional affiliates like Lebanon’s Hezbullah, Palestinian Hamaas, and Yamini Houthis. In short, he labeled Iran as a destabilising force which fuelled sectarian crisis in the greater Middle East. At times employing a faulty analogy between Daesh, Hamaas, Hizbullah.  

In the process, he blurred contours of his policy of fighting Daesh hand in hand with the Russians. In Iraq and Syria, Iran is the most influential foreign power cum ally of the Syrian regime that is operating in Syria in close coordination with Russians.

It is also heavily involved in anti-Daesh operations in Iraq. Most of the GCC countries are, however, more concerned about Iran than Daesh. So Trump went on knowing fully well, he was sailing through chartered waters and conducive atmosphere.

In the process, he delivered a copy cat Barack Obama 2009 speech, at that time 5 months into his presidency. Unlike  Obama, Trump, however, missed out the mention of human rights issues. In the process,  a supposedly Washington establishment hater Trump , taking a 180 degree turn to propagate a foreign policy clearly in line with Republicans agenda of the past, especially in terms of Iran verses Saudi Arabia.

Trump chose Saudi Arabia as his first foreign destination after entering the White House. He, however, didn’t take pains acting like a statesman. He was simple and straight forward just like a deal maker. He knew fully well, most of the GCC countries are more concerned about Iran than Daesh. So it was this perfect base on which he built rest of his anti-Iran discourse.

So who gets what as a result of this Arab-American-Islamic summit?

American companies get a lot of business through $350 billion contracts -- $110 billion on account of defence contract equipment sales. Donald Trump gets thousands of jobs he desperately needs to meet part of his elections promises.

His election rhetoric ‘Islam hates us’ and ‘Muslim travel ban’ is now seems a bit moderated as he looks for rest of relations with Arab-Islamic world minus Iran-Syria. He had to carry out a hard balancing act through his words and body language.  As a result also gets a free of cost public relations, good will exercise with more than 40 plus Muslim countries from Asia and Africa, and especially the GCC – a core body of Gulf Arab countries--all this courtesy the good offices of the Saudi monarchy.

Saudia Arabia gets new defence and security pacts with the Unites States. The summit has boosted its leadership role not only in Arab and GCC countries but the Islamic World at large. This was what they could never expect from Obama administration which actually tinkered with the post-revolution Iran policy. Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran was not taken well by the Arab gulf countries engaged in defensive wars against Iran’s proxies like Hizbullah, Houthis. And influence in Iraq, Syria, Yamen, and political unrest it has got created in GCC countries like Bahrain. Remember Saudi King opting to stay away from the GCC leaders meeting Obama in Washington after the Iran nuclear deal. Obama administration was also critical of Saudi Arabia’s military strikes inside Yamen and alleged use of weapons of mass destruction against civilian targets.       

On the face of it, Saudis with the help of greater Sunni-Islamic world want to cement this great coalition against terrorism, especially Daesh threat in the region. But with leaving Iran and allies out of the loop the exercise seems directing towards sending signals of aggressive defence towards Iran, they see fast spreading its ideology and influence in the greater Middle East.