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Trump's W Asia visit high on biz deals

Last Updated 30 May 2017, 20:31 IST
US President Donald Trump’s swing through West Asia was relatively successful. He did make a few gaffes but avoided offensive remarks or tweets that would have ruffled the feathers of his hosts. At the end of his first trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel, it appears that Trump will be able to do business with the two governments. He did well to visit the West Bank, too, and meet Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas there. In Saudi Arabia, he struck a $110 billion arms deal for supply of helicopters, ships, intelligence-gathering aircraft, a missile-defence radar system etc. This should benefit the US military industry. An arms deal with the Saudis was finalised by the Barack Obama administration but the latter nixed the deal following mounting Saudi atrocities in Yemen. Trump’s delinking of arms sales from human rights concerns will make the House of Saud happy and strengthen the US-Saudi bond.

In Israel, Trump spoke in generalities and avoided telling Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu what he needs to do to resolve the West Asia conflict. Thus, he spoke grandly about the need for compromise to resolve the conflict and his personal commitment to helping the Israelis and the Palestinians reach a settlement. But he avoided making any specific reference to a two-state solution. He made no mention of borders or Israeli settlements and was vague on the exact parameters of an “ultimate deal.”

Thus, Trump’s visit has been successful in setting the stage for the US to do business with the Saudis and Israel but whether his approach will lead to peace in the region is doubtful. For one, his courting of the Saudi royals signalled that in the region’s geopolitics and sectarian conflicts, the US will continue to back Sunni Saudi Arabia rather than do a balancing act between Riyadh and Shia Iran. The Trump administration’s recent comments on Iran have indicated a return to tense US-Iran relations. The arms deal with the Saudis will not only fray US-Iran relations further but also, it will impact negatively the security situation in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan etc. As for the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Trump must understand that any shift away from the two-state solution is not a solution. An unfair deal may work in business, but not in the explosive political arena of West Asia. Importantly, Trump must realise that peace in West Asia will not come by blaming Iran for all the region’s woes or supplying the Saudis, Israel and other US allies in the region with weapons and ignoring their support to terrorism. This may help Washington retain its grip over West Asia but it will keep the region restive.
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(Published 29 May 2017, 18:16 IST)

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