President Trump will be visiting the seats of the three Abrahamic religions: the Vatican, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, which is home to Mecca. From the United Arab Emirates' The National:
Trump’s Saudi visit sends ‘clear and powerful message’
The US president Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia will enhance cooperation between the United States and Muslim countries in the fight against extremism, the kingdom’s foreign minister said.
Describing the visit as historic, Adel Al Jubeir said Mr Trump’s time in Saudi Arabia would include a bilateral summit, a meeting with Arab Gulf leaders and another with leaders of Arab and Muslim countries.
"It’s a clear and powerful message that the US harbours no ill will" toward the Arab and Muslim world, he said.
"It also lays to rest the notion that America is anti-Muslim. It’s a very clear message to the world that the US and the Arab Muslim countries can form a partnership," Mr Al Jubeir said.
"It will lead to, we believe, enhanced cooperation between the US and Arab and Islamic countries in combating terrorism and extremism, and it will change the conversation with regards to America’s relationship with the Arab and Islamic world."
A bit more:
The United States is leading an international coalition against ISIL of which Saudi Arabia is a member, and both countries have voiced concern about Iranian attempts to expand its influence in the Middle East.
Mr Al Jubeir praised the Trump administration’s tougher stance against Iran.
"I don’t think this administration is about rhetoric. I think the administration has taken firm steps in terms of making it clearer to Iran that its behaviour has to change."
Riyadh and Washington had a testier relationship under former Democratic president Barack Obama’s administration, which Saudi Arabia felt placed less importance on the Saudi-US relationship than on securing a nuclear deal with Iran.
Wonderful - I love that the article's author used the word rhetoric to describe Obama's dealings - that is exactly what it was. Dialectic in the original definition is what Trump uses - numbers, knowledge, facts. Obama and the progressives were all about doing things that sounded good regardless of their true consequences.
Leave a comment