US president Donald Trump most recent visit to three Gulf monarchies — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — saw him leave with bountiful, billion-dollar deals. According to fact sheets released by the White House, the president secured economic agreements amounting to $600 billion with Saudi Arabia, $243.5 billion with Qatar, and $200 billion with the UAE — what were deemed as “historic” levels of investment. While these reported deals illustrate Mr Trump’s strong business focus, the choice of the three Gulf states reflects their global diplomatic standing and connections with the US president.
The mutual adulation on display pointed to how Washington sees the Gulf states as paving the way in Middle Eastern affairs. From the Gulf-US Summit to the announcement of Syria’s sanction relief, Mr Trump’s programme was also marked by discussion on important regional files. The glaring omission on his itinerary, however, was Israel — sparking speculation of a Trump-Netanyahu rift.
Are we witnessing a golden era in US-Gulf relations? How sustainable are the deals signed? Apart from doing business, will the Trump administration provide greater security guarantees to the Gulf states? Are we expecting more US-Gulf alignment on regional theatres such as Iran, Syria, and Gaza?
The Middle East Institute hosted two experts from the region, Hasan Alhasan and Yousuf Al Bulushi, to address the above issues and more.