AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In an analysis criticizing Saudi Arabia's strategy of relying on Donald Trump and financially investing in a personal relationship with the US President, Foreign Policy wrote, "The developments of the war with Iran have shown that this strategy not only failed to guarantee Riyadh's security but has also made this country more vulnerable to regional threats."
This report, titled "Saudi Arabia Bribed the Wrong People," emphasizes that Riyadh over the past years has tried to use financial investments, personal relationships, and concessions to Donald Trump and his close associates to guarantee Washington's support for securing its security and advancing its regional objectives; but the ineffectiveness of this approach has now become apparent.
The region's security order over the past decades was formed on the basis of a kind of exchange between America and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf littoral; meaning that Washington, relying on its military power, supported the security of shipping routes, the containment of threats, and the protection of its allies, and in return, the region's countries provided military facilities, security cooperation, and the continuation of the flow of oil.
This publication emphasizes that the American military attack on Iran has confronted this mechanism with a serious crisis, and Saudi Arabia, despite its long-term reliance on Washington's support, has no reliable alternative to these security arrangements.
Foreign Policy, referring to the existing threats against Saudi Arabia's oil export routes, introduces the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea as sensitive points of this country's energy strategy. Riyadh, to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, has used the East-West pipeline; but the threats of the Red Sea and attacks on oil infrastructure have also limited the effectiveness of this solution.
This American publication, referring to the attacks of Yemen's Ansarullah and Iran-supported armed groups in Iraq, argues that Saudi Arabia still needs foreign support to protect its shipping routes and energy facilities; while America's ability to contain the crisis and the Trump administration's willingness to bear the necessary costs for it are in doubt.
Saudi Arabia's financial relations with Trump and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and former adviser to the US President, and the Saudi fund's two-billion-dollar investment in Kushner's investment firm, as well as trade deals related to the Trump organization, are part of Riyadh's efforts to influence Washington's decision-making.
Saudi Arabia imagined it could obtain strategic concessions from a government based on personal relationships and financial interests while continuing to benefit from the advantages of America's stability and military power; but recent developments have shown that paying costs to win the favor of politicians does not necessarily mean their ability to secure the interests of their allies.
The possibility of Saudi Arabia reaching a nuclear agreement with America and the ground being prepared for uranium enrichment in this country is one of the few possible achievements of Riyadh's relations with the Trump administration; but the risks of nuclear proliferation, oversight restrictions, and the possibility of a change in Washington's policy in future administrations will be a challenge for this issue.
Foreign Policy emphasizes that corruption and prioritizing personal interests at the top of power can weaken governments' ability to make responsible decisions and protect their allies' long-term interests.
As a result, Saudi Arabia has made a strategic error in assessing the benefits of its relationship with Trump. Riyadh imagined it could use financial and personal ties to steer American foreign policy in its favor without bearing the costs arising from Washington's corruption, instability, and risky decisions; but it now faces the consequences of this calculation as security threats increase and pressure mounts on its economic infrastructure.
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