US president Donald Trump has embarked his first foreign visit with Saudi Arabia was his first choice. The visit will be an opportunity for many summit meetings to take place: a bilateral summit with King Salman; another one with the Gulf cooperation Council leaders, a third summit with many Arab leaders, and the fourth one would necessarily include Muslim leaders from Turkey, Pakistan and many non-Arab leaders. Fighting terrorism and confronting Iran’s influence are the two major headlines of the summits, yet, there are other important goals that both Washington and Riyadh aspire to attain. Now, with Washington steering the direction, Trump got what he wanted even before reaching Saudi Arabia. Some circles say the decision about the whole pre-paid visit would not have been taken, had not it been to the huge investments and arms deals that amount to hundreds of billions of dollars.

What does Washington want from this visit?

Trump has recurrently and persistently asserted that he wants to do away with Obama heritage. What he simply means, is what many depict as the hesitant, non decisive and weak era under Obama’s administration. This explains the heightened inflammatory rhetoric Trump always uses and the attacks he already executed in Syria.

Trumps wants to highlight the following security, economic, and political themes:

– Ensuring the support of his allies in the gulf countries

– Ensuring the continuation of the petroleum flow with suitable prices

– Fighting terrorism, mainly ISIL and Nusra Front

– Cutting off Iran influence in the region and what the Western axis calls Tehran extensions in Iraq, Syria, and recently Yemen

– Ensuring the supremacy and security of Israel

– Securing a final settlement to the Palestinian issue

– Pumping hundreds of billions of dollars to the deteriorating American economy

For his part, Saudi King wants to secure a smooth and safe transition for his son Mohammad bin Salman to be the next King as a top priority. Executing hostile and aggressive policies against Iran ranks high in his priorities as well, especially after the series of Saudi failures in different parts of the region, namely Iraq, Syria and Yemen. To obtain those results, Saudi Arabia is ready for all kinds of concessions and prices domestically and in the region. As such, the Palestinian cause would be in imminent and immense danger.

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies think that their era is yet to come, their plots and plans to the region and its people are not necessarily going to gain success. The opponent axis, namely the axis of resistance and steadfastness is not going to idly watch the US bringing the region again to the Israeli age. They have their own plans and capabilities also, that would sabotage the US plots and conspiracies.

The region was once under the Western mandate: European or American. This was in the past and should stay in the past. The future of the region should and will be made by the hands of its people and for their favor and interests, and not to please the Americans and their allies.

Source: Al-Manar Website