31 January 2017By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
Some inciting voices have condemned the fact that Saudi Arabia was not
included in the countries on Trumps travel ban list. The American President
Donald Trump did not categorise Saudis as terrorists and did not ban them from
entering the country. In addition to this, the President phoned the Saudi
monarch King Salman bin Abdulaziz and consulted with him on matters in the
region.
What was made public about the conversation can be described as an important
shift in relations between the two countries. According to statements that
both sides made, the King and the President talked about establishing safe
zones for the Syrians, cooperating with regards to combating terrorism in the
region and counteracting Irans foreign activities. They also spoke about the
Muslim Brotherhood being a party that is responsible for terrorism for the
first time and bilateral issues such as economic cooperation.
What confirms Washingtons new policy in the region in general is that
President Trump made a similar phone call to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. These are not courtesy calls and neither are
they calls to congratulate the President. Rather, they are political
discussions about what should be done in the region. US-Gulf relations need to
be repaired after the coldness that dominated the former President Barack
Obamas administration. The features of these relations are the unification of
visions with regards to the regions issues in the hope of stopping the chaos
that has spread since 2011 and solidarity in fighting terrorist organisations
that are spreading like cancer in the region.
Trumps administration considered Iran as part of the problem whilst the
previous US administration insisted that Iran was part of the solution. All of
these are important developments that aim to end the chaos in Libya, Syria,
Yemen, Iraq, and unite forces in order to pursue and combat terrorist groups.
Discussing the Muslim Brotherhood in a telephone conversation with President
Trump is no less important than considering Iran as the source of chaos. The
organisation played a negative role during the unrest of the Arab Spring and
is responsible for corrupting the Syrian revolution because it insisted on
transforming it from a civil one to a religious one. It also tried to exploit
its electoral victory in Egypt in order to dominate power and violate
institutions. Likewise, Tunisias Islamist Ennahda party tried to do the same
but foreign threats made it retreat and commit to the rules of democracy. The
chaos in Libya is mostly caused by religious groups that are armed, extremist
and affiliated to Al-Qaeda like the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and
Ansar Al-Sharia that do not recognise the state. Chaos caused by organisations
that have a lot in common including extremist ideology and foreign points of
reference has ripped the region apart.
Meanwhile, the previous American administration adopted a policy in Washington
that does not hear, see or do anything. It considered the chaos as a local
struggle, viewed it as a phase of historic transition and was willing to
accept the results of this transition. The reality on the ground warns of
danger that threatens the world, and planting terrorist groups in countries
that have collapsed has become easy with the expansion of unrest. Today, there
is international consensus that this approach was incorrect and there is a
collective desire to cooperate to put an end to the chaos, eliminate terrorism
and review concepts, methods and alliances.
Trumps government said that it is ready and in a hurry to engage in a project
to stop the chaos and defeat terrorism. Trump, who has only been president for
ten days, is announcing his intention to establish a safe zone for Syrian
refugees after former President Obama refused to set up these zones for
Syrians who are displaced. There are more than 12 million displaced Syrians in
Syria and outside the country.
Finally, the stances of others towards Trump, his administration and his
foreign and domestic policies should not affect us, and we should not make
prejudgements. What is more important is that we form our vision based on the
issues and solutions that Trumps administration proposes for our region and
its readiness to cooperate positively.
Al Rashed is the general manager of
Al -Arabiya television. He is also the former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-
Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly magazine, Al Majalla. He is also a senior
Columnist in the daily newspapers of Al Madina and Al Bilad. He is a US
post-graduate degree in mass communications. He has been a guest on many TV
current affairs programs. He is currently based in Dubai.
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EsinIslam.Com
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