Saudi Arabia's MbS pulled off a strategic coup in Washington. Trump made an uncertain bet |
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), recently visited Washington, DC, and was granted a state-like reception, complete with a mounted honour guard and a flyover of F-35 and F-15 jets. President Donald Trump publicly exonerated him for the murder of the dissident Jamal Khashoggi, and celebrated the promise of $1 trillion in Saudi investments into the US economy. The visit accomplished several things for each side, some symbolic and others more tangible. While the Saudis appear to have come out ahead in this exchange, MbS’s intimate association with President Trump may ultimately prove costly with a future Democratic administration.
The Crown Prince had three objectives. The first was to restore his standing in the United States as a respected international leader and the undisputed ruler of the kingdom. His meetings with President Trump in the Oval Office, over a formal dinner in the White House, and then with congressional and business leaders, journalists, and policy experts all indicate that he has accomplished this. In addition, the respect and prominence he was accorded as Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader played to Saudi nationalist sensibilities back home.
The second aim was the signing of a strategic defence agreement that promises US protection against external aggressors. The details of this agreement — which falls short of a full treaty — have not been made public, but it appears to include the streamlining of arms exports, joint military training, and US basing access. Riyadh ultimately wants to be recognised........