Jameel Al-Theyabi
American tanks are roaming about in the Syrian territories near the Turkish border. What is the implication of disseminating pictures of these tanks that display the flags of the United States of America?
Is there not a huge difference between the words and deeds of the administration of US President Donald Trump and that of his predecessor Barack Obama? The weak and hesitant policies of Obama were instrumental in plunging the region into the chaos and turbulence that we are witnessing now, and this has lost American prestige in the region.
Three months after the end of the tenure of Obama – which is not at all a matter of regret - the volume of difference between the US administration of words (Obama) and the administration of deeds (Trump) is obvious for all those analyzing and observing the situation.
The scene of rolling US tanks on the battlefront in northern Syria is a strong message tantamount to threatening Russia, and it happened immediately after the US cruise missile attack that almost incapacitated the Syrian airbase at Shayrat.
Similarly, the reactions of Trump to the threats contained in the statements of Russia and Iran were very strong and tough. This coincides with Trump’s dispatching of an aircraft carrier to waters near the Korean peninsula in a show of naval might to confront the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. Will it force North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to retract his war rhetoric when he sees that the Trump administration is prepared to take tougher action?
Analysts see that the Houthi militias in Yemen, supported by Iran, are in a state of bewilderment following the statement of the United States that it is exploring the prospect of lending a helping hand to the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen by supplying intelligence. This will, of course, help the Coalition to pinpoint the ulterior designs and vicious plans of the Houthis, who receive dictates from Iran and its militias, especially the Lebanese Hezbollah, which is involved in the killing of unarmed civilians, including children, in Syria by supporting the Assad regime.
The difference is obvious: Some 100 days ago, the world was almost like a lawless jungle because of the policies of a weak President Obama, who delivered Syria to Russian President Putin and his ally Iran to the extent that the Kremlin was eager to support Assad even in the UN Security Council. Russia wielded its sword of veto to defeat not only the resolutions to condemn the barbaric massacres and chemical attacks unleashed by the Assad regime but even a probe into such attacks perpetrated in flagrant violation of international law. However, this imperial arrogance showed signs of retreat 100 days after the Republicans returned to power in the United States.
Here, we should not forget the fact that Saudi Arabia was in the forefront of those who came down heavily against the weak policies of the Obama administration. We still recall how the late King Abdullah did not go to Riyadh airport to receive Obama and how the King concluded his meeting with Obama abruptly in less than half an hour. We also remember that the Kingdom reacted very strongly before and after the adoption of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) by the US Congress, and that Riyadh totally rejected the policies of the Obama administration, which seemed to be marketing the exhausted policies of Iran.
During the 100 days after assuming the presidency, Trump confronted Hezbollah with a strong reprimand that made its leader Hassan Nasrallah tremble and the outfit started receiving blows from those Syrian groups opposed to Assad. There is no hope for any change in Tehran’s policy even after the presidential election scheduled for this month. Changes in presidential posts are not going to make any shift in that country’s ulterior designs and hence the Kingdom will continue to expose them.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most influential and powerful nations in the region, and its strong presence is felt in all international and regional forums. It will continue to exercise its pioneering role in the Arab and Muslim world. It will not accept any solution in Syria without serving the interests of the people who have been displaced and driven out of their country. The number of people who were martyred in the ongoing conflict in that country will exceed the number of Palestinian martyrs. The Kingdom is also not going to accept a solution that includes Assad as he is the crux of the problems in the country. Saudi Arabia also rejects Iran’s policies of intervention in the affairs of the states in the region, and hence it will confront Iran’s bid to enforce its hegemony with all its might and influence as a key member of regional and international coalitions.
The 100 days of Trump witnessed the restoration of the historic and strategic bilateral relations between the Kingdom and the US. The alliance of the two nations is inevitable in maintaining the security and stability of the region as well as that of global oil prices. After the evaporation of the cloud of weakness, which prevailed in the period of Obama, now is the time for the world to march forward with more vigor and boldness to promote peace, security and prosperity through the strategic cooperation among partners so as to eliminate the evil forces of Daesh, Al-Qaeda and Assad as well as Iran’s ambitions for hegemony.
The battles of Trump began on his first day in office as he remarked recently in Pennsylvania when speaking about his “fruitful 100 days in office,” but as he noted, “other great battles are ahead.”
— The author is the editor-in-chief of Okaz
