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Trump to unveil plans for an ‘Arab NATO’ in Saudi Arabia

The United States and Saudi Arabia are putting together one of the biggest arms sales in history and looking toward a new regional security architecture. Behind the scenes, the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia have been conducting extensive negotiations, led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. After years of disillusionment with the Obama administration, the Saudi leadership was eager to do business. “They were willing to make a bet on Trump and on America,” a senior White House official said.

Rand Paul: Saudi Arabia’s Role in Backing Terrorism Raises Concerns with $100 Billion Arms Deal

President Eisenhower warned our nation during his farewell address to be very wary of the military industrial complex and its encroachment on civil society. The moment when the best interests of defense contractors start determining what is in the national security interest of our country, the tail has begun to wag the dog. This is the concern of Rand Paul, regarding the recent arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

The only real way to stop atrocities like the Manchester attack is to end the wars which allow extremism to grow

President Trump leaves the Middle East today, having done his bit to make the region even more divided and mired in conflict than it was  before. At the same moment that Donald Trump was condemning the suicide bomber in Manchester as “an evil loser in life”, he was adding to the chaos in which al-Qaeda and Isis have taken root and flourished. It may be a long distance between the massacre in Manchester and the wars in the Middle East, but the connection is there.

Saudi Arabia, UAE pledge $100 million to ethically questionable fund proposed by Ivanka Trump

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pledged $100 million to  the World Bank’s Women Entrepreneurs Fund, an initiative proposed by  first daughter and senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump. The fund, which was first announced in April, has already raised serious legal and ethical questions about how a White House adviser can both shape foreign policy and actively solicit donations from foreign countries for the fund.

In Saudi Arabia, Trump Reaches Out to Sunni Nations, at Iran’s Expense

As voters in Iran danced in the streets, celebrating the landslide re-election  of a moderate as president, President Trump stood in front of a gathering of leaders from across the Muslim world and called on them to isolate a nation he said had “fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror.” That nation was Iran.

U.S., Saudi firms sign tens of billions of dollars of deals as Trump visits

U.S. and Saudi  Arabian companies signed business deals worth tens of billions of  dollars on Saturday during a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump, as  Riyadh seeks help to develop its economy beyond oil. National oil firm Saudi Aramco said it signed $50 billion of agreements with U.S. firms. Energy minister Khalid al-Falih said deals involving all companies totaled over $200 billion, many of them designed to produce things in Saudi Arabia that had previously been imported.

Trump Hotel Received $270,000 From Lobbying Campaign Tied to Saudis

President Donald Trump’s Washington hotel received roughly $270,000 in payments linked to  Saudi Arabia as part of a lobbying campaign by the Gulf kingdom against a  controversial piece of terrorism legislation last year. The payments—for catering, lodging and parking—were disclosed by the public relations firm MSLGroup last week in paperwork filed with the Justice Department documenting foreign lobbying work on behalf of Saudi Arabia and other clients. 

BAE: secret papers reveal threats from Saudi prince

Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday. Previously secret files describe how investigators were told they faced "another 7/7" and the loss of "British lives on British streets" if they pressed on with their inquiries and the Saudis carried out their threat to cut off intelligence.

5 Arab States Break Ties With Qatar, Complicating U.S. Coalition-Building

It was not immediately clear why the five countries decided to take this action now. Last month, Qatar’s state news media published comments attributed to the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, referring to  tension with Washington over Iran policy and saying Mr. Trump might not  be in power for long. Qatar denied the comments, saying it had been the victim of a “cybercrime.” But most analysts pointed to President Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia.