Donald Trump has many firsts to his credit. He has now added another one by being the first American President to visit Saudi Arabia before visiting any other country. No American President has given so much importance to Saudi Arabia. However, the visit makes good business sense and brings out the businessman in Donald Trump.
The American president is expected to announce arms deals worth $110 billion with Saudi Arabia. This will be evidence of a renewed commitment by the United States to the security of the Gulf region. CNN International has reported the news of Trump's visit.
The visit
The kingdom has lavished the president and his wife with extravagant Royal pomp. This is Donald Trump's first visit abroad, and its significance cannot be underrated. He plans to shore up the fight against the Islamic state as well as Iran.
There are reports that Donald intends to propose an Alliance of the Muslim world on the lines of NATO against the Islamic state and Iran. It is an ambitious plan, and one will have to see how it works out. Trump will be making an attempt to show that he is a world leader to people back home. He will be hoping that back home people will forget about his Russian connection. This has dogged him ever since he sat in the president's chair.
Gold medal award
The Saudi king conferred the gold medal, the highest civilian honor of the kingdom on Trump. The medal was awarded at a glittering ceremony. One cannot, however, read too much in this, as the gold medal has also been awarded to other world leaders who visited the Saudi kingdom like Vladimir Putin and the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
Unlikely partners
The main outcome of the visit is to strengthen the partnership with Saudi Arabia. Both the USA and Saudi Arabia are unlikely partners, and one wonders how a free society like the USA can be a partner of a regime that does not even allow its women to drive cars and keeps them secluded. One is also reminded how the USA put all its eggs in the basket of the Shah of Iran.
This had a sad effect as the Shah was overthrown and a strong Islamist government took over that considered the US as its enemy.
Future
Saudi Arabia has been accused by many of repression as well as exporting Sunni extremism. Most of the men who launched the 9/11 attacks were Saudi nationals. Trump will also have to live down his extremist comments about the Arabian kingdom which he had made. Never the less as things stand with the Middle East in turmoil, an alliance can have its benefits.
