Is President Trump now Mukhtar of America?

 

In the Middle East the village headman is usually referred to as the Mukhtar, the chosen one, chosen by the ruling force in the country, selected to administer the district with the backing of the government's money.

I watched the show in the reception palace in Riyadh with eyes that may have seen the proceedings differently than many other people.

What I saw was a carefully staged spectacle in which the Saudis brought together most of the political leaders in the Islamic World to witness President Trump's acceptance of Saudi leadership in the Middle East.

In the Arab World when someone submits to you and accepts your money as a follower and tool, the culturally authentic thing to do is to make the experience as painless as possible.

The Saudis will now expect that the US will understand that their $110 billion in defense purchases and $40 billion in contributions from the Saudi state's sovereign wealth fund will buy power in Washington and that their carefully and politely stated demands will be greeted with great receptivity in the future.

The Israelis are a bit shaky about this?  Well, pilgrims, they should be.  They have spent a lot of time and effort and a fairly limited amount of money constructing an apparat in AIPAC that successfully manipulates both US policy and public opinion.   And now the Saudis have simply bought the same thing with all that money?  This must be disheartening for the Israelis and their supporters in the US. 

The "rub" will come of course when the Saudis try to crack the whip over Trump.  pl  

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/22/israeli-minister-expresses-concerns-over-us-saudi-arabia-deal-ahead-trump-visit.html

http://time.com/4787797/donald-trump-yemen-saudi-arabia-arms-deal/

Comments

[Account Deleted]

Just Googled use of 'bolivar' as a verb, thought it must be an obscure reference to Simon Bolivar-like behaviour I'd not heard of!

[eakens]

If I were sitting in Tehran, I would probably be viewing this with pleasure. I mean, how much easier does it make their job if they need to stir the pot in KSA when they are seen shoveling money, hand over fist, over to the US.

In preparation for this deal, just last month King Salman cancelled all the austerity measures SA had put into place and reinstated all benefits.

They obviously knew that this deal would lead to some disgruntled elements if it were being made when benefits were being cut. That seems to show where they are vulnerable.

[Will]

You are absolutely right and spot on..... they have turned this tactic into Saudi Art.......

[Will]

They don't give a damn because any dissent will be crushed with tanks and aircraft if needs be, and no one will say a word in condemnation..... CIRCA Yemen and Bahrain, Syria and Iraq....where ALL the car bombs are Saudi actions.....

[turcopolier]

Laura

They will leverage the projects and the delivery of trenches of the money. I worked for a large Arab owned company for ten years and this is an old story for me. Did you notice that in the picture they have him dancing with the servants? pl

[turcopolier]

Sam Peralta

IMO we are the victims of a massive IO campaign that started back in the 50s. pl

[turcopolier]

Lurker
He did not go to Mecca. He is a kafir, at least for now. pl

[Allen THomson]

> Did you notice that in the picture they have him dancing with the servants?

Wow, that's why I read this blog, because I know nothing of the context of things in that part of the world. Really servants, low status folk rather than soldiers or palace guard or similar? Or are servants different there?

[Kooshy]

I think colonel Lang is right, Israelies and monarchy Arabs only can have a tactical goal which is both countries survival is dependent on US hegemony and keeping the US glued to MENA, if it wasn't for US both of these countries will not survive, KSA internally and Israel externally. Both KSA, and Israel' enmity with Iran is strategic, because, their main supporter of thier existence US, view an independent Iran as an strategic enemy against her goals and plans, (for now). They are woried of any US change, or if US makes any change on her pasture on Iran.

[turcopolier]

kooshy

You are correct in thinking that the Saudis cannot employ the new military equipment. They have a permanent demographic problem in that they do not have enough men of Saudi nationality to man their present forces. As a result their units are always very undermanned and have little military utility except for the regular force of SANG who are all desert beduin with a record of tribal loyalty to the Saudi regime. They are always forced to rely on seconded foreign military like Pakistanis or Bangla Deshis or on mercenaries. You can see how well they are doing in Yemen. pl

[turcopolier]

Allen Thomson

No status beduin servants. If you watch the tapes carefully you will see these white robed men serving coffee. pl

[Sam Peralta]

Col. Lang

In your opinion what made our political and media establishment susceptible to this IO campaign, particularly in the 50s & 60s, when I believe there were more people with character in the upper echelons?

[turcopolier]

Sam Peralta

Americans knew and still know little of the outside world and the culture of foreigners. if you want a start point think of the movie, "Exodus." pl

[Kooshy]

There's zero chance that either Israel or KSA can dominate the MENA region. IMO, the MENA region ( excluding the Shia area) which majority are young, can not be dominated militarily by Israel, KSA, or mommy USA. This task only can be done culturally, meaning if a acceptable modernity cor the young could be glued and put in Sunni Islam. For obvious reasons KSA can't even think of that, they view modernity against thier survival. IMO only Turkey and Egypt are able to do this, but not under thier curent leadership.

[Augustin L]

100 millions dollars for Ivanka's women initiative. They're in the big leagues now, the debt will be repaid with the blood deplorables...

[wisedupearly]

LOL. NPR in captioning a photo of Trump bowing to receive his well earned decoration from the Saudi King,
"Saudi King Salman presents President Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace,"

[Keith Harbaugh]

Is there any reason for the U.S. hostility to Iran
other than the fact that
Iran is the gravest external threat Israel currently faces?

From the economic POV,
there would be significant advantages to the U.S. to good U.S.-Iran relations.
Why, we could even sell them military equipment.

[Keith Harbaugh]

Mr. Peralta, you didn't ask my opinion, but I'll give it anyway.
Precisely the same reason that accounts for
the vast social changes that have occurred in the U.S. since the 50s and 60s.
The rising economic, political, and social power of American Jews.
If you want documentation/substantiation on how vast that rise has been,
see the book
Jewish Power: Inside The American Jewish Establishment
by J.J. Goldberg
https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Power-Inside-American-Establishment/dp/0201327988/

[ked]

"... this deal would lead to some disgruntled elements..."

well, as long as they don't get so disgruntled they start flying into buildings or something crazy like that.

[VietnamVet]

Colonel,

No doubt the USA has been bought. Now, it is out in the open. Fees for services.

Both Israel and Saudi Arabia have an enemy in common, Iran. Four more years of war in Mesopotamia have been paid for. Neither, Russians or Iranians can back down since Sunni Islamists are an existential threat to their nations. The Sunni Shiite Holy War will continue unabated until there is a fiscal crisis, a populist uprising or the West stumbles into a NATO/Russia World War.

“Peace and Prosperity” is such an archaic phrase in the second decade of the 21st century.

[jonst]

"Get used to it"? You mean you are not by now? What world are you living in? Look at history. Everyone one, everywhere, at some time or other has aligned with "cutthroats'. We're cutthroats, when we have to be. Its a rough world and always has been. Those cutthroats in the Red Army killed a lot of Germans, that otherwise would have been facing our men on the Western Front.

[Account Deleted]

It's the timing of the "rub" that interests me. All politicians like to announce a piece of good news. It should be 'news' as often as possible in fact. For now Trump has his paper billions and we can expect to hear lots about how MAGA is right on track as a result.

If tomorrow the Saudi's said something like "hey Muktar (I'm paraphrasing) you remember the orb-thing we did? Well the guys at the GCCEI tell us that there is a whole lot of Extremist Ideology going on with those terror-supporting Iranians in Syria - would you be kind enough to Combat that for us?" I'd expect DT to do a quick cost/benefit analysis before politely declining. When the promised investments consequently fail to materialize, he'll probably figure a bit more deal-making will easily straighten things out.

Once the penny drops that the attached strings are non-negotiable and when Trump really needs the actual billions, he will of course be far more receptive. But by then the cost side of this particular equation will hopefully have changed to such an extent that even the real billions are not worth the war. Who knows, DT may not even still be Muktar by then.

[Haralambos]

Col. Lang and Kooshy,
I have a friend who has taught English in the Gulf for 30 years, the last 25 of which are in Saudi. His take is that the Saudi military (whose members he has trained) are not even prepared to effectively use what they already have for the reasons noted by you, Col.

He has trained what he describes as the cream of the cream; these are the folks tasked with delivering the goods from the sky. Yemen is an example of their military prowess.

Patrick Cockburn has an interesting piece up today on the intersection of Iran under the Shah many years ago and this recent Saudi PR exercise: http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/05/22/trumps-extravagant-saudi-trip-distracts-from-his-crisis-at-home/

[Croesus]

"He did not go to Mecca."

Nor did any high-level American represent USA at One Belt One Road Conference May 14. Matt Pottinger, Marine and former journalist that Michael Flynn wanted on his staff, represented USA. Majority of the other 56 nations present were represented by their highest dignitaries, i.e. Erdogan, Italy's prime minister, etc. Israel appears to have had no representation at all at One Belt conference.

My view is that the Yemen war is about Saudi control of all of Yemen to ensure control over the Bridge of the Horns initiative. I view the Bridge project as the Saudi - US answer to One Belt One Road; American corporations and major American families are invested in Bridge project; Madeleine Albright's consultancy represented them, even as her partner, Wendy Sherman, negotiated the Iran deal.

Col Lang's insight is very much appreciated; my views are based on reading-from-my-armchair vs knowing the persons and customs of the actors. Nevertheless, the Bridge project, spearheaded by Bin Ladens, is real and significant.

I would have thought Israel would be pleased that Saudi will be armed to the teeth (tho with no one to use the weaponry); it seemed to me the entire point is to keep Iran in check, to establish even more extensive means of spying on Iran and controlling Persian Gulf.

Israel not having sent a rep to One Belt conference (tho it is involved in the Development bank) suggested to me that Israel is counting on participating with KSA in a hegemonic role over the Arab-Africa linkage that Bridge of the Horns will create.

[Croesus]

Perhaps they can peel off a few thousands to hire Iranian women who own taxi cab companies in Tehran. The Iranian women can teach Arab women how to drive?? Or create their own businesses??