Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States at the request of the Obama administration marks a historic point in Saudi-US relations.
The invitation in effect signals that the White House is willing to strengthen the weakening ties between the two countries after US President Barack Obama pursued and won a nuclear deal with Iran.
Signing of the nuclear deal, the United States’ failure to intervene in the Syrian civil war and the recent unflattering comments about Saudi Arabia made by President Obama have certainly soured relations between the two countries. Even Obama’s recent fence-mending trip to Riyadh did little to thaw relations.
But Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States should be viewed as offering of an olive branch to the Kingdom and it is also recognition by the White House that Saudi Arabia is an important ally and its support to resolve regional issues is always required.
Due to the fast-changing geopolitical situation, Saudi Arabia has not only altered its approach to its economy, its attitude toward oil but the Kingdom has also changed its policies to effectively deal with a volatile region.
President Obama will exit the White House in January but Daesh and its bloody campaign to enslave the region’s people is most likely to continue. Iraq has yet to prove that it can expel Daesh from its borders as it deals with internal dissension and Moscow continues meddling in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Leaders in the Levant and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have long since stopped looking to Washington, D.C. for answers and are turning their attention to Saudi Arabia for guidance in dealing with these issues.
The deputy crown prince is scheduled to visit Washington, New York and the Silicon Valley in California. In Washington, President Obama and the deputy crown prince will discuss Saudi Arabia-led Islamic military alliance and the war against Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
Beyond the regional issues in the Middle East, the deputy crown prince is expected to travel to New York to meet with economists and leaders of several financial institutions to discuss Saudi Vision 2030 by outlining the Kingdom’s plan to diversify its economy to end its dependency on oil and to attract investments. He will conclude his visit by meeting tech executives in the Silicon Valley, presumably to continue his campaign to drum up foreign support for Saudi Arabia’s new economic plan.
Not on the agenda, but certainly the 800-pound gorilla in the room, is the growing anti-Islam attitude and attacks on Muslims in the United States that is fueled in large part by Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump bigoted rhetoric and the growing number of hate groups inciting violence. Although it may not be a topic of discussion in the White House, leaders of Muslim countries have expressed alarm over the growing Islamophobia and what it means not only to American Muslims, but also to immigrants and tourists. If Trump is elected president, US relations with its allies in South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East could very well reach its lowest point and alter the course of how to deal with extremism.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has placed his confidence in the deputy crown prince to help lead the country to a stronger economy and find a path to resolve the region’s conflicts. The Saudi government knows full well that Saudis may have to go it alone to curb unrest, but it also understands that the United States must play a role. It’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s skill as a negotiator that will ultimately bridge the current gap between the two countries.
The invitation in effect signals that the White House is willing to strengthen the weakening ties between the two countries after US President Barack Obama pursued and won a nuclear deal with Iran.
Signing of the nuclear deal, the United States’ failure to intervene in the Syrian civil war and the recent unflattering comments about Saudi Arabia made by President Obama have certainly soured relations between the two countries. Even Obama’s recent fence-mending trip to Riyadh did little to thaw relations.
But Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States should be viewed as offering of an olive branch to the Kingdom and it is also recognition by the White House that Saudi Arabia is an important ally and its support to resolve regional issues is always required.
Due to the fast-changing geopolitical situation, Saudi Arabia has not only altered its approach to its economy, its attitude toward oil but the Kingdom has also changed its policies to effectively deal with a volatile region.
President Obama will exit the White House in January but Daesh and its bloody campaign to enslave the region’s people is most likely to continue. Iraq has yet to prove that it can expel Daesh from its borders as it deals with internal dissension and Moscow continues meddling in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Leaders in the Levant and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have long since stopped looking to Washington, D.C. for answers and are turning their attention to Saudi Arabia for guidance in dealing with these issues.
The deputy crown prince is scheduled to visit Washington, New York and the Silicon Valley in California. In Washington, President Obama and the deputy crown prince will discuss Saudi Arabia-led Islamic military alliance and the war against Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
Beyond the regional issues in the Middle East, the deputy crown prince is expected to travel to New York to meet with economists and leaders of several financial institutions to discuss Saudi Vision 2030 by outlining the Kingdom’s plan to diversify its economy to end its dependency on oil and to attract investments. He will conclude his visit by meeting tech executives in the Silicon Valley, presumably to continue his campaign to drum up foreign support for Saudi Arabia’s new economic plan.
Not on the agenda, but certainly the 800-pound gorilla in the room, is the growing anti-Islam attitude and attacks on Muslims in the United States that is fueled in large part by Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump bigoted rhetoric and the growing number of hate groups inciting violence. Although it may not be a topic of discussion in the White House, leaders of Muslim countries have expressed alarm over the growing Islamophobia and what it means not only to American Muslims, but also to immigrants and tourists. If Trump is elected president, US relations with its allies in South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East could very well reach its lowest point and alter the course of how to deal with extremism.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has placed his confidence in the deputy crown prince to help lead the country to a stronger economy and find a path to resolve the region’s conflicts. The Saudi government knows full well that Saudis may have to go it alone to curb unrest, but it also understands that the United States must play a role. It’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s skill as a negotiator that will ultimately bridge the current gap between the two countries.
