Trump doesnt support terrorism, so why the $670 Million Arms

Fox

Fri, May 11 2018, 2:31 pm

In short, because when it comes to geo-politics, the enemy of your enemy is often your friend.

Right now, the biggest state sponsor of evil men doing bad things is Iran. Saudi Arabia and most of the Arab world has never gotten along with Iran anyway because of Islamic theological quarrels. But Iran also funds groups similar to Hezbollah and Hamas that operate throughout the Arab world, including Yemen and Egypt. Iran's economy is weak as a result of international sanctions, which means they'll sell weapons and military equipment to almost anybody. That makes Arab leaders even more nervous than it makes us.

So over the past few decades, the U.S. has often held its nose and done military deals with Saudi Arabia, usually piecemeal kinds of deals that can withstand Congressional scrutiny.

However, "a new king arose over Egypt." Or, in this case, Saudi Arabia. The de facto leader on behalf of his father, 82-year-old King Salman, is 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, referred to in social media, etc., as "MbS."

MbS, though he himself attended college in Saudi Arabia, is part of a generation of Saudi elite that generally attended school in the U.S. and Britain. They are often quite comfortable with Western culture and are significantly less rigid in their religious beliefs. They do not embrace the Wahhabism that led to Saudi funding of Islamist mosques and madrassas. MbS has denounced Islamist ideology; expanded women's rights (they are now allowed to attend public events and will soon be able to drive); defended Israel's right to exist; and told the Palestinians to sit down and shut up.

So the $670 million in anti-tank missiles is basically a hostess gift. Thank you so much for doing a bunch of stuff that we would have to do ourselves if you hadn't offered! It's also a kind of incentive reward for MbS. Great! You've done a bunch of things to bring Saudi Arabia more in line with the modern world! Have some anti-tank missiles!

The real story, IMHO, however, is not the arms sales to Saudi Arabia. It is the increased level of military cooperation between the U.S. and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). People with military backgrounds who follow this stuff point to the fact that GCC and U.S. military officials are meeting regularly and troop/equipment movements suggest a high degree of strategic alliance. The ultimate goal appears to be regime change in Iran and Syria and possibly in Turkey -- with as little civilian casualty as possible.

Of course, it is tempting for Jews to get excited about all this. It is, after all, the first time Arab leaders have acknowledged Israel's right to exist, let alone treated Israel as anything other than a sworn enemy. It's important to recall, though, that the threats posed by Iran, Syria, and Turkey will eventually be dealt with, and that attitudes toward Israel and the Jews are likely to once again regress. During the decade-long Iran-Iraq war, Israel enjoyed a respite from strife, but when it was over, her enemies came back in full force.

So we should appreciate whatever progress Trump, MbS, and the GCC are able to make, whatever their individual motives. But we shouldn't lose our heads over it. Eisav soneh Yaakov, and I feel pretty confident in saying that neither Trump nor MbS is Moshiach.