Re: [Salon] Fwd: MEMO: "Trump: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE turning to Washington instead of Beijing." (5/21/25.)

[Mayraj Fahim <fmayraj@yahoo.com>]

When President Obama secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to begin arming Syria’s embattled rebels in 2013, the spy agency knew it would have a willing partner to help pay for the covert operation. It was the same partner the C.I.A. has relied on for decades for money and discretion in far-off conflicts: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Since then, the C.I.A. and its Saudi counterpart have maintained an unusual arrangement for the rebel-training mission, which the Americans have code-named Timber Sycamore. Under the deal, current and former administration officials said, the Saudis contribute both weapons and large sums of money, and the C.I.A takes the lead in training the rebels on AK-47 assault rifles and tank-destroying missiles.

The support for the Syrian rebels is only the latest chapter in the decadeslong relationship between the spy services of Saudi Arabia and the United States, an alliance that has endured through the Iran-contra scandal, support for the mujahedeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan and proxy fights in Africa. Sometimes, as in Syria, the two countries have worked in concert. In others, Saudi Arabia has simply written checks underwriting American covert activities.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/world/middleeast/us-relies-heavily-on-saudi-money-to-support-syrian-rebels.html

U.S. Relies Heavily on Saudi Money to Support Syrian Rebels

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 04:12:51 PM GMT+5, Chas Freeman via Salon <salon@listserve.com> wrote:

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250521-trump-saudi-arabia-qatar-uae-turning-to-washington-instead-of-beijing/

5/21/25

Trump: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE turning to Washington instead of Beijing

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his visit to the Middle East has caused a shift in Gulf countries’ interests back to the United States instead of China.

Trump told reporters after a meeting with Republican Congressmen that his visit to the Middle East was “very successful”, adding that he had returned from there with $5.1 trillion in investment pledges, which is a “great gain for the United States.””

Trump added that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are among the “strongest and richest” countries in the region claiming that Washington had abandoned these countries under the administration of his predecessor Joe Biden, and therefore they turned to China.

“But they will no longer turn to China. They love us, and we love them” he said.

Trump also said that these countries now respect the United States, adding, “We have concluded important investment agreements with these countries that no other American president could have concluded”.

There was no immediate comment from the three Gulf countries on the US president’s remarks.

Trump’s tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, from May 13 to 16, saw the signing of major agreements in several areas, including defence.

READ: Chinese fighter jets soar over Egypt in first joint exercises

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