On his journey to the Gulf States, President Trump unveiled numerous deals and announced an end to Syrian sanctions. But does the visit really signal a shift in US strategy toward the region?
Earlier this month, President Trump embarked on his first foreign trip with a whirlwind itinerary that took him to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Amid lavish settings, the president and Gulf leaders announced multi-billion-dollar deal after multi-billion-dollar deal, strengthening mutual cooperation in trade, defense, energy, and technology. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has pledged $600 billion to investments in the United States, as well as a series of arms deals worth $142 billion. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have committed to similarly astronomical figures.
Speaking at the Saudi-US Investment Forum, President Trump also used the opportunity to outline his vision for the future of US foreign policy in the Middle East. He took aim at the “nation-builders” of previous administrations who, in his view, subjected the region to costly ideological crusades and “wrecked far more nations than they built.” In other words, the president has declared that native powers will tackle the region’s problems more effectively than external intervention and moralistic posturing.
To underscore this point, Trump announced the immediate sanctions relief on Syria, ending nearly fourteen years of disengagement with the war-torn country. This has met with the approval of the Gulf states, which have been pushing for increased Western engagement with the new regime. The European Union has also followed suit and declared an end to its sanctions. President Trump later met with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, the first meeting of an American and a Syrian head of state since 2000. Trump asked Shara to normalize relations with Israel, an idea to which al-Shara is reportedly open.
Considering all of these developments, what are the regional implications of Trump’s visit? Why didn’t Trump visit Israel as well, especially with the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the possibility of normalization with Saudi Arabia? What will be the impact on the US-Iran relations? What is the future of the long-term US role in the Middle East?
In this episode of Three Questions, Paul Saunders speaks with Greg Priddy to answer these questions and more. Greg Priddy is a Senior Fellow for the Middle East at the Center for the National Interest. He also consults for corporate and financial clients on political risk in the region and global energy markets. From 2006 to 2018, Mr. Priddy was the Director of Global Oil at Eurasia Group. His work there focused on forward-looking analysis of how political risk, sanctions, and public policy variables impact energy markets and the global industry, with a heavy emphasis on the Persian Gulf region. Prior to that, from 1999 to 2006, Mr. Priddy worked as a contractor for the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) at the US Department of Energy. Mr. Priddy’s writing has been published in The New York Times, The National Interest, Barron’s, and the Nikkei Asia, among others.
Image: Daniel Torok, The White House / Wikimedia Commons.
