Trump Saudi Visit Aims to Formalize ‘Arab NATO’ in Mideast: Russian Analyst

A Moscow-based political commentator said US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia is aimed at formalizing a so-called “Arab NATO” in the Middle East in an attempt to strengthen Washington’s position in the region.

“The US President wants to clinch a roughly $100 billion arms deal which has the potential to grow into approximately $350 billion in sales across the next decade, and he also wants to make progress in formalizing a so-called “Arab NATO” between the [P]GCC (and inferred elements of the Saudi-led “anti-terrorist” coalition), “Israel”, and the US (with possible partial and/or informal NATO participation),” Andrew Korybko, a political analyst at the Moscow-based Geopolitika.Ru think tank

Korybko: Trump’s visit to the Wahhabi Kingdom is a unipolar power play disguised as a civilizational outreach attempt. Much has been made about the symbolism of the US President meeting with dozens of Muslim leaders in one of the religion’s most well-known locations and delivering a speech on the faith, but comparatively less has been said about the substantial outcomes that he hopes to achieve.

The US President wants to clinch a roughly $100 billion arms deal which has the potential to grow into approximately $350 billion in sales across the next decade, and he also wants to make progress in formalizing a so-called “Arab NATO” between the [P]GCC (and inferred elements of the Saudi-led “anti-terrorist” coalition), “Israel”, and the US (with possible partial and/or informal NATO participation).

If successful in either or both of these endeavors, then Trump would bolster the US’ position in the Mideast through its strengthened “Lead From Behind” proxy network and assist the unipolar camp in adapting to the game-changing multipolar changes which have swept the region since the commencement of Russia’s anti-terrorist intervention in Syria.