President Trump’s speech to the Islamic world amounted to a pander to his regal Saudi hosts and a blindness toward the realities of Mideast terrorism, explains ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.
Trump Panders to the Saudi Royals
Tag: Saudi Arabia
Saudis Embrace Embattled Trump
Escaping the tribulations of Washington, President Trump basked in the Saudi monarchy’s gilded welcome and promised a flood of U.S. weapons to tilt the region’s military balance against Iran, a bad bet on the past, says JP Sottile.
Donald Trump at a Lonely Crossroads
Battered for months by Russia-gate innuendo, Donald Trump finds his unlikely presidency at a dangerous crossroads with no clear-cut path ahead, writes ex-British diplomat Alastair Crooke.
Trump Escalates Syrian Proxy War
At the start of the Trump presidency, it looked like the U.S. covert “regime change” war in Syria might be ending, but it has returned, zombie-like, in a slightly different form, reports Steven Chovanec.
Taming or Tiptoeing Around Trump
Donald Trump’s emotional shortcomings and lack of knowledge about the world have forced nations to adopt new strategies for maneuvering around the increasingly erratic U.S. superpower, writes Michael Brenner.
The Bait-and-Switch ‘War on Terror’
The U.S. “war on terror” has always been a bait-and-switch scam on the American people, with Washington putting the desires of its Mideast allies ahead of defeating Al Qaeda and ISIS, Gareth Porter reports for Middle East Eye.
Trump Withholds Syria-Sarin Evidence
Exclusive: Despite President Trump’s well-known trouble with the truth, his White House now says “trust us” on its Syrian-sarin charges while withholding the proof that it claims to have, reports Robert Parry.
Trump’s Foreign Policy Incoherence
Exclusive: Powerful forces are arrayed against any significant changes that President Trump may try to make in foreign policy, a dilemma made worse by his own ineptness and staffing troubles, writes Robert Parry.
Excusing Bahrain’s Human Rights Abuses
Team Trump remains under the Saudi-Israeli spell that Iran is the region’s strategic threat, which explains the policy incoherence of supporting Bahrain’s repression of Shiites, a dilemma addressed by ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.
Aiding Saudi Arabia’s Slaughter in Yemen
President Trump is following the same path as his predecessor, bowing to the Saudi royal family and helping in their brutal war against Yemen, as Gareth Porter described to Dennis J Bernstein.