It’s time for a global mobilization against the Iranian ‘Khomeinite’
Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Al Arabiya/May 18/17
A CIA official said during the Ronald Reagan time in office that Saudi Arabia was one of the most important allies of America during the 1980’s, adding that the Americans viewed the Saudi kingdom as a decisive factor towards fulfilling many significant aims.
The US partnership with Saudi Arabia achieved many mutual goals, particularly in terms of confronting the communist tide. What facilitated bilateral cooperation is that both countries were worried of the consequences of this communist expansion.
Back then, Prince Bandar bin Sultan said Saudi Arabia’s influence was major and thought that the reward for this cooperation must be much more than the AWACs surveillance aircrafts and it must be “nuclear arms.”
Throughout the history of American-Saudi relations, mutual worries were the ember and flame of cooperation. This has been the case since the presidential term of Franklin Roosevelt and up until Donald Trump’s. Back then, the communist threat was mutual.
Now there are many mutual threats that have made it inevitable for Trump to move towards Saudi Arabia considering it’s a trusted partner that’s capable of overcoming difficulties.
Trump and the Gulf
Trump chose Saudi Arabia as his first foreign visit. The major reason he did so is his desire to address Muslims who are the base of global and media discussions either due to immigration or terrorism. Saudi Arabia, where Islam emerged and which embraces the Two Holy Mosques, is thus the best podium to address 1.5 billion people. The historical visit will be the base of cooperation and this will be through King Salman’s and Trump’s determination to revive historical cooperation and launch strategic, economic, political and security partnership to work against the “Khomeini theory” in the Middle East and put an end to its interferences and chaos in the region and the world.
Trump will dispel worries which claim America is attacking Muslims. These worries surfaced following the measures pertaining to travel to countries that are all Muslim. Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his team created real and optimistic partnership with the American administration when they visited Washington. His statements during his visit to the US confirmed America’s leading role in the world and Saudi Arabia’s leading role in the Islamic world. This led up to Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia to meet with Muslim leaders and prime ministers.
The aim, as expressed by statements from both countries, is “mobilization against Iranian expansion in the region,” and discussing “the threats of terrorism.”
‘Together we prevail’
During a cabinet session, King Salman welcomed the upcoming visit of Trump and Muslim leaders. Perhaps the summits which Trump will hold with Saudi officials will have economic and military dimensions and they may also discuss the purchase of a missile defense system and weapons which the former administration of Barack Obama had refused to sell Saudi Arabia. They will also discuss Yemen. They will likely hold serious talks on the mechanism of cooperation to curb Iran. Ever since the 1979 revolution, Iran has tried to provoke Saudi Arabia on the sectarian and military levels. In one of his interviews, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman clearly said: “We will not wait until the battle is in Saudi Arabia but we will work so the battle is there in Iran.” This statement was reported by global media outlets and viewed as the base of Saudi Arabia’s current strict policy which does not fear war shall someone beat its drums.
During the electoral campaign, Trump promised to uproot terrorism and the culture of hate and to comb every area where there are terrorists. It’s also time to eliminate all Shiite terrorist cells in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This can be done through military work and financial restraints and through declawing the cells on the security level and lifting political covers off them. It’s not in any country’s interest to resort to political tactics or emotional speeches to justify the presence of these militias on its land. Terrorism is one and there’s no difference between Sunni and Shiite militias. Obama had some sort of truce with Shiite cells and he was ideologically convinced that terrorism’s origin is Sunni. This is a historical lie and it’s due to ignorance in the legacy and history of Islam and in the basis of conflicts and strife. ISIS is Sunni but the Popular Mobilization and its branches as well as more than 40 other factions in Syria and Iraq are Shiite. Therefore, there’s no difference, terrorism is one.
Reagan was decisive when he pledged to support allies and protect them from aggression. The Soviet Union’s interference in Gulf countries’ affair came at a high price thanks to Reagan. He was loyal to this promise. Before that, there was the Eisenhower Doctrine. And now we await the Trump Doctrine to confront Iran and the axis of evil and the forts of violence, backwardness, terrorism and bloodshed. Warnings must be strict as America is the country that’s capable of curbing these mafia-like countries.
The historical visit will be the base of cooperation and this will be through King Salman’s and Trump’s determination to revive historical cooperation and launch strategic, economic, political and security partnership to work against the “Khomeini theory” in the Middle East and put an end to its interferences and chaos in the region and the world.
