Calling out Saudi misadventure: the Trump presidency and a plea for European diplomatic nous in an ever-turbulent Middle East

Wastnidge, Edward (2017). Calling out Saudi misadventure: the Trump presidency and a plea for European diplomatic nous in an ever-turbulent Middle East. Global Affairs, 3(2) pp. 165–171.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2017.1360075

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has once again gained the unconditional backing of the United States to pursue its regional agenda. Its historical use of its vast oil wealth to promote Wahhabism abroad as a means of maintaining stability at home facilitated the rise of a sectarianized, harsh interpretation of Islam that gained global reach with devastating consequences across the Muslim world and beyond. This commentary provides a sketch of Saudi-led soft and hard power initiatives. It highlights the destructive path that Western nations have been complicit in turning a blind eye to, and outlines the shifting US stance towards its key ally. Now is not the time for record-breaking arm deals with the house of al-Saud. Rather, it is an opportunity for European diplomatic nous to help take the heat out of the building tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and provide a semblance of balance Middle Eastern affairs.

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