A quid pro quo in Riyadh

UNCONVENTIONAL political leader that he is, Donald Trump chose to make Saudi Arabia his first port of call as President of the United States. After his first-ever major speech on Islam to leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries, the jury is out: did he flunk his first test or did he develop cold feet? The leader of the most powerful country in the world is supposed to be indefatigable. But according to his spin masters, Trump was so exhausted in Saudi Arabia that instead of railing about “radical Islamic terrorism” he made a turnaround in the birthplace of Wahabism whose severe, puritan and, often, intolerant strain of Islam is held responsible for terrorism in many spots of the world.

During this kind of dialogue with the new boss in the Oval Office, the Muslim leaders would have noticed that Trump forgot to berate Saudi Arabia for providing ideological fuel (and often direct military sustenance) to terrorists. The obvious explanation is Saudi Arabia’s massive $100 billion sweetener to the American military complex in the form of orders for war machines. For the most part, Trump had quite a mouthful to say about Islam and terrorism — that too in a tone and tenor radically different from the Muslim-bashing during his election days. He has jettisoned, more or less, the “clash-of-civilisation” thesis so eagerly embraced by neo-conservatives.

But Trump’s obvious backsliding, even when laced with a $100 billion purchase order, did not go unnoticed. When he called on other nations to isolate Iran, Tehran promptly pointed out that these comments were a result of “milking Saudi Arabia”. His past record of backsliding, especially vis-à-vis China, had already made his reconciliatory speech to Muslims appear insincere. The $100 billion “gift” from Saudi Arabia and his refusal to pin it down must have only confirmed to the Arab political class that Trump was yet another US leader who dexterously strains to bridge the gulf between his words and deeds. Trump has barely started negotiating the treacherous world of West Asian politics. And he has pulled up short on his maiden outing.