https://arab.news/c6pu3
The upcoming meetings between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington may prove among the most significant in the history of the 80-year relationship between their countries. These will not be routine or ceremonial meetings. They will cap months of negotiations on agreements designed to expand cooperation on a raft of energy, defense, technology and economic issues. The planned agreements are not transactional; they reflect a deliberate effort by each government to recast the strategic bedrock upon which this partnership shall stand for decades to come.
We will need to wait until the conclusion of the visit to learn the dollar value of the deals and the details surrounding the technology associated with each. In May, the US and Saudi Arabia announced a package of deals valued at about $600 billion. The size of these agreements make this more than a story of trade and employment, even if we keep in mind that it will take many months, if not years, for these agreements to play out.
Instead, the transformational potential they collectively offer each side will create an inflection point in the architecture of energy, security, regional stability and technological competitiveness, influencing global politics well into the mid-21st century. With these agreements, Riyadh, already one of Washington’s most important and trusted partners, will be positioned to play an even larger role in this multipolar world.
