OPINION:
In a speech in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, President Trump held a wake for the neoconservative elite, or globalist “uniparty,” whose ideology has guided U.S. foreign policy for decades.
Saudi Arabia has embarked on a radical social and economic transformation under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership since 2017.
Although Saudi Arabia remains an Islamist country ruled by an absolute monarchy counter to Western Judeo-Christian beliefs, the crown prince has made strides to diversify the kingdom’s economy beyond oil production and loosen some societal restrictions.
The result has been new construction, technological advancements, an increased focus on higher education and access to wider societal freedoms, such as allowing women to drive and opening the country to more Western sports and entertainment.
“Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other out of existence,” Mr. Trump said at a U.S.-Saudi investment event in Riyadh, recognizing the progress Mohammed bin Salman has made and encouraging other countries in the region to do the same.
Mr. Trump’s approach to the Middle East radically differs from that of his predecessors. He is using trade and investment to bring stability to the religiously diverse and war-torn area, rather than regime change and nation building, which the Washington uniparty establishment has long touted.
President Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its human rights record, cut off military sales for almost his entire term and met with the crown prince only after Russia invaded Ukraine, gas prices soared and he needed OPEC+ countries to increase oil production.
A fist bump between the two world leaders was all that ensued. There was no pomp and circumstance, no touting of shared economic prosperity and no expansion of Trump 1.0’s lauded Abraham Accords, by which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain forged economic and diplomatic relationships with Israel.
Instead, Mr. Biden relaxed U.S. sanctions on Iran, the true pariah of the Middle East, enriching them by more than $50 billion during his four years in office.
Iran used that money to bankroll its terrorist proxies: Hamas on Israel, Hezbollah on Lebanon, and the Houthis on Saudi Arabia. Iran also used the newly found cash to help develop its nuclear program, which has progressed to the point of having enough uranium for five fission weapons within about a week and enough for eight weapons in less than two weeks.
Mr. Trump recognizes the failed leadership of his predecessors, Presidents Biden, Obama and George W. Bush, in the Middle East and is taking a different approach.
“It’s crucial for the wider world to note, this great [Middle East] transformation has not come from Western intervention noise or flying people in beautiful planes giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs,” Mr. Trump said in his speech. “No, the gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation builders, neocons or liberal nonprofits like those who spent trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad, so many other cities. …
“In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,” Mr. Trump said.
Rather than focusing on the “sins” of past leaders in the Middle East and using “U.S. policy to dispense justice” like past presidents, Mr. Trump believes each nation is self-interested enough to want to build its economy and achieve stability through increased commerce and diplomatic responsibilities.
He even extended his hand to Iran.
“If only the Iranian regime had focused on building their nation up instead of tearing the region down,” he said. “Yet, I’m here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran’s leaders but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future. …
“Let’s not trade nuclear missiles; let’s trade the things that you make so beautifully,” Mr. Trump offered.
Yet he reminded the world of America’s military might and that he would not hesitate to use it to defend the country and its allies.
“I believe it is God’s job to sit in judgment, my job to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity and peace,” Mr. Trump said.
He was not remiss to add: “If you threaten America or our partners, however, then you’ll be faced with overwhelming strength and devastating force. We have things that you don’t even know about, you don’t hear about, and if you did, you’d say, ‘Wow.’”
It was the very definition of peace through strength.
Mr. Trump went to the Middle East promising riches with its cooperation.
It will be up to each country to determine whether they take him up on that offer.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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