Why Trump's lavish Saudi courtship leaves Israel on the back foot

The article discusses the recent visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, where he was received with great fanfare by President Trump. The visit was seen as a significant moment in US-Saudi relations, with Prince Mohammed promising $1tn in investment and announcing plans to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to the US.

However, the article also notes that despite the lavish welcome, there were concerns about the implications of this deal for the region, particularly given Saudi Arabia's track record on human rights. The author suggests that the visit marked a "drift" in US Middle East policy, with Trump seeming to prioritize Saudi interests over those of Israel.

The article quotes several experts, including Sanam Vakil and Daniel Levy, who offer insights into the complexities of US-Saudi relations and the challenges of finding a balance between competing interests in the region. Levy notes that while there may be some superficial changes in policy, the underlying drivers remain largely the same, with US policymakers often taking their cues from Israel and other regional actors.

Overall, the article suggests that the visit marked a significant moment in the evolving relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, but also raises important questions about the implications of this deal for the region and the future of US policy in the Middle East.
 
I just got back from Disney World ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿ˜‚ and I'm still on a high from the rollercoaster I rode! anyway... so like what's up with this Saudi prince guy, right? $1 trillion in investment sounds crazy cool but I don't know if it's all good for everyone. I mean, shouldn't we be worried about human rights and stuff? ๐Ÿค” my friend told me that the US is kinda just following Israel's lead when it comes to dealing with countries like Saudi Arabia... does that make sense? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ
 
๐Ÿค” so I'm reading this article about MBS's visit to the White House and it's crazy how much hype was around it... 1 trillion dollars in investment and F-35 jets? that sounds like a lot, but can we talk about the human rights stuff for a sec? Saudi Arabia has been super questionable on that front and I'm not sure why the US is giving them such a warm welcome. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ i mean, I get that diplomacy and all that, but shouldn't we be holding our partners to higher standards? ๐Ÿšซ๐Ÿ’ช it's like, what about the Israelis? are they getting all the attention and benefits while others in the region are still struggling with some pretty serious issues? ๐Ÿค๐ŸŒŽ anyway, this deal is definitely a big one and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out... ๐Ÿ“Š
 
the whole thing feels kinda weird tbh ๐Ÿค”. like, we're supposed to be celebrating this massive investment deal from Saudi Arabia, but it's all so tied up in human rights issues... ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ i'm not gonna lie, trump's handling of all that has been pretty shady, and now he's basically teaming up with saudi arabia again? ๐Ÿค it just feels like the us is getting its interests prioritized over people's lives. and what's up with israel getting all the attention again ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ. can't we find a way to balance everything out without sacrificing human rights for the sake of some fancy arms deal ๐Ÿ’ธ?
 
I'm still not convinced about all these new defense deals we're making with countries like Saudi Arabia ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ’ธ. I mean, $1tn is a lot of money, but what's the real motive here? Are we just being bullied into backing our buddies in Israel or something? ๐Ÿ˜’ It seems to me that we're more interested in securing those oil supplies than actually supporting democracy in the region.

And let's be real, Saudi Arabia's human rights record is pretty sketchy, you know? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ I'm not saying it's all bad news, but we should at least acknowledge some of these issues before making a big deal about investment and trade. We're supposed to be the land of freedom and justice, right? It just seems like we're compromising on that for the sake of convenience (and a good price tag ๐Ÿ’ธ). I'm not saying it's impossible to make this work, but we need to think more carefully about what we're getting ourselves into ๐Ÿค
 
๐Ÿค” I'm kinda worried about this whole thing. Like, don't get me wrong, $1 trillion investment is a BIG deal, but have you seen what's been going on with Saudi Arabia's human rights record? It's like, super concerning. And now they're planning to sell those F-35s to the US? That just feels like more military might for the region, and we all know how that can play out. I mean, has Israel got a say in what goes down? It's like Trump is playing both sides against each other. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ It's gonna be super interesting to see where this all goes from here...
 
๐Ÿค” I'm kinda worried about what's going on with our alliances in the Middle East ๐ŸŒŽ. Like, don't get me wrong, $1 trillion is a lot of investment ๐Ÿ’ธ, but what's the catch? Saudi Arabia's got some pretty dodgy human rights record ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™€๏ธ. And I'm also a bit concerned about how this deal might affect Israel ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ... are we prioritizing one ally over another? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ It feels like we're just patching up the same old issues instead of making some real changes ๐Ÿ”„. What do you guys think is going on here? ๐Ÿค
 
What's up with these big-ticket deals? I mean, $1 trillion in investment is insane! But at the same time, you gotta wonder if it's all just a PR stunt to get some positive press. I'm not saying Saudi Arabia doesn't have something valuable to offer, but we gotta think about what's really going on here.

I've been reading this stuff and it seems like US policy is just being pulled in a million different directions. Israel, the Gulf states, everyone's got an opinion... meanwhile, ordinary people in the region are still dealing with some major issues. It feels like there's a whole lot of hand-wringing going on without actually getting to the root of what's really important.

What do you guys think? Am I just reading too much into this or is there something we should be worried about? ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ’ธ
 
๐Ÿค” I'm so over these lavish state visits ๐Ÿ™„, can't we just get to the meat of the issue already? ๐Ÿ˜‚ Like, let's talk about that $1tn investment ๐Ÿค‘... how are they planning to make that happen? ๐Ÿ’ธ And what's really going on behind closed doors? ๐Ÿค The fact that Trump is prioritizing Saudi interests over Israel's ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ just doesn't sit right with me. ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™€๏ธ I mean, isn't it time we started looking at the bigger picture? ๐ŸŒ What about the human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia? ๐Ÿ’” How can we be okay with a country that's constantly being called out for its abuses? ๐Ÿ˜•
 
๐Ÿค” I'm not sure how to feel about this whole thing... on one hand, $1 trillion is a LOT of investment ๐Ÿ’ธ and could really help create jobs and opportunities in Saudi Arabia ๐ŸŒ† but on the other hand, what's going on with human rights? It feels like we're turning a blind eye to some major issues just to make a deal ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ. And I get why Israel is important but can't our leaders prioritize the people who are actually living in that country ๐ŸŒŸ? It feels like there's still a lot of work to be done on balancing all these competing interests ๐Ÿ’ช
 
I think Trump's decision to roll out the red carpet for Prince Mohammed is super puzzling ๐Ÿค”...like what's the real motive behind this move? Is it just a massive ego trip or are they actually getting something concrete out of this deal ๐Ÿ’ธ? The $1 trillion investment sounds too good to be true, and we all know how that usually ends up ๐Ÿ’ธ. I mean, has Trump forgotten about the whole Yemen debacle and Saudi Arabia's questionable human rights record? ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ And what about Israel? Is he just trying to appease them even further by selling those F-35s? ๐Ÿš€ It's like, can't he see that this move is going to create more problems than it solves? ๐Ÿ˜ฌ
 
I gotta say, Trump's whole thing with Saudi Arabia is just whack ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ. Like, yeah sure, $1 trillion in investment sounds cool and all, but have you seen how they treat their own citizens? ๐Ÿšซ It's all about freedom of speech... to criticize the government, that is ๐Ÿ˜’. And those F-35s? Just because Israel gets a sweet deal on them doesn't mean we should be backing Saudi Arabia to the hilt ๐Ÿ’ธ. I mean, what about Iran? What about Yemen? It's always someone else's problem, right? ๐Ÿค” The US needs to get its priorities straight and stop just being a proxy for other countries' interests ๐Ÿ”„.
 
I'm just gonna say it, this guy Trump is playing with fire ๐Ÿšจ. All that money and power he's giving to Saudi Arabia, what's the real motive? Are they gonna start a war over there or something? And Israel getting all these perks too, that's not exactly how diplomacy works ๐Ÿ˜. It feels like he's just going along with whatever his buddies in the Middle East tell him to do. This deal better come with some serious strings attached or it's gonna be a mess ๐Ÿ’ฅ
 
I gotta say I'm really worried about the direction of US foreign policy lately ๐Ÿค•. It feels like we're putting all our eggs in one basket with countries that don't always align with our values ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™‚๏ธ. I mean, I get it, investment and security are important, but at what cost? We need to be careful not to compromise on human rights or let the interests of other countries take priority over ours ๐Ÿ’”.

I'm also thinking about the bigger picture here... have we really changed that much since Trump took office? ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ It feels like we're just shifting our priorities around, but ultimately still playing into the same old regional dynamics. We need to think more critically about how our actions impact the entire Middle East and not just focus on one country or another ๐Ÿ’ก.

I'm keeping an eye on this situation and hoping that someone in power will step up and say "wait a minute" ๐Ÿค”. We deserve better than to be caught up in the hype of big deals and forget about what really matters โ€“ our values and our principles โค๏ธ
 
I don't know man... I think it's kinda awesome that Prince Mohammed is bringing $1tn to the table ๐Ÿค‘. Like, who wouldn't want that kind of investment? But at the same time, can we really ignore the human rights issues in Saudi Arabia? ๐Ÿ˜• I mean, it's a big red flag, you know? And what about Israel? Are we really just going to let our friends dictate our Middle East policy? ๐Ÿค” That just doesn't sit right with me. But on the other hand, maybe this is just the beginning of some real change... or maybe it's just more of the same old thing ๐Ÿ˜. I don't know, I'm all over the map on this one ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ.
 
idk about this, feels like trump's all about playing it cool with saudi, but what's really going on ๐Ÿค”. i mean, $1 trillion investment sounds like a sweet deal, but is it at the cost of human rights? it's like that movie where the main character makes a deal with the devil and gets exactly what they wanted, but at what price ๐ŸŽฌ. and yeah, Israel's always been a big player in us foreign policy, it's like they're pulling the strings from behind the scenes ๐Ÿ‘€. i wish we could get more transparency on this whole thing, you know?
 
I'm still not convinced about these billion-dollar deals ๐Ÿค‘. I mean, $1 trillion is a pretty staggering sum, but at what cost? We're talking about Saudi Arabia's human rights record here, folks... it's like they think we can just ignore all the bad stuff that's been going on and just cash in on their oil dollars ๐Ÿ’ธ. And now they're selling advanced fighter jets to us? It's like we're playing into their hands ๐Ÿคฏ. I'm not saying we should boycott them or anything, but can't we at least make sure that our foreign policy is more about supporting human rights and less about lining the pockets of powerful royals? ๐Ÿค”
 
omg I'm literally SHAKING with excitement ๐Ÿคฉ over the $1 trillion investment deal! ๐Ÿ’ธ like I know it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but come on, who wouldn't want that kind of cash pouring into their economy? ๐Ÿ’ธ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ I mean, sure, there are some concerns about human rights and stuff, but let's be real, Saudi Arabia is just being super diplomatic ๐Ÿค and the US is all about maintaining those strong ties ๐ŸŒŸ. And can we talk about how awesome it is that they're selling F-35s? ๐Ÿ”ฅ like the ultimate symbol of military might ๐Ÿ’ช!
 
Ugh, can't believe they're making such a big fuss over this dude's visit ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ. I mean, sure, $1 trillion in investment sounds nice, but what about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia? Can we at least pretend like that's not a thing? ๐Ÿ˜’ The fact that Trump is basically selling out to Saudi interests and ignoring Israel's problems is just plain weird ๐Ÿคฏ.

And don't even get me started on how convenient it is for US policymakers to always take their cues from Israel. Like, what about the rest of us in the Middle East? Do we even matter anymore? ๐Ÿ™„ It's like they're speaking a different language or something. Anyway, just another day in the never-ending saga of US foreign policy ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ
 
idk if trump's whole thing with saudi is gonna backfire ๐Ÿค”. i mean, we all know saudi has some serious human rights issues going on, but at least they're willing to invest ๐Ÿ’ธ right? it feels like us policymakers are always playing catch-up when it comes to these kinds of deals - trying to balance what's good for the country with what's good for israel and other regional actors. i'm not saying it's all bad or anything, but we gotta be careful about who we're making deals with ๐Ÿค‘
 
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