Gulf spectacle masks strategic shift in US policy

With the showmanship of a Cecil B De Mille saga, President Donald Trump's state visit to three Arab kingdoms was uniquely paired with pomp and joint business incentives that focused on transforming the narrative from conflict to commerce and cooperation. The visits were set to the spectacular backdrop of casts of thousands, Arabian stallions, and camel cohorts marking the fanfare of the president's four-day trip to the region.

- John J Metzler

The glitzy Gulf kingdoms offered Mr Trump a positive and comfortable backdrop for his New York-style business pitch for prosperity. US diplomacy was focused on friendships beyond traditional petroleum links. The Middle East chessboard was often viewed as a political zero-sum game against the backdrop of retro-diplomacy, e.g., how to secure vital sea lanes for the free flow of oil. But today’s enhanced ties host a triangular game of commerce, diplomacy, and military deterrence in which the US, and not China or Russia, is setting the paradigm for a new Middle East policy.

The president's speech in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first stop on the trip, charmed even many of his critics. He stated, “Before our eyes a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together”