Saudi Arabia’s Turn

Is this the end of America’s status as super power? Will Europe be able to defend itself by itself? While the answer to both these increasingly popular notions is likely negative, a new player is emerging. Saudi Arabia, the host of today’s U.S.-Russia talks, as well as possibly a follow-up summit featuring Presidents Trump and Putin, used to be little more than a top Mideast oil pump. Now it is pushing itself to the apex of the diplomatic world. In the past, America and Russia picked backwater, neutral capitals in which to meet. The 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit at Reykjavik was a Cold War turning point. Riyadh, on the other hand, has long been a Mideast powerhouse. Now it’s even more so — and is aspiring to become a global leader as well. An assist from the White House is crucial for making that Saudi dream come true.Secretary Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff landed at Riyadh this morning following jeers from European leaders and Atlanticists at home. The Europeans are so mad at Mr. Trump that President Macron called their leaders to Paris to do — well, no one is sure what. France is nearing, but is still short of the North Atlantic Treaty’s target of two percent of its GDP on Defense. Germany is behind at 1.5 percent. As Prime Minister Starmer pledges troops for Ukraine, his defense budget is far shy of Great Britain’s glory days. Rather than Paris, then, all eyes are on Riyadh. That’s where the action is. Ukraine is absent, and President Zelensky says Kyiv will “not recognize” any Riyadh pact. Yet, Mr. Witkoff closed a Gaza deal by first talking to Hamas’s Qatari interlocutors, and separately to our ally, Prime Minister Netanyahu. Similarly, talks with Kyiv are sure to follow.Messrs. Rubio and Waltz are Russia hawks and we hope their talks with Moscow counterparts will not yield the kind of capitulation that so many critics predict. Mr. Trump, though, is eager to end a “meat grinding” European war, so it’s natural to fear a Sudetenland-like deal that could prime further Russian wars of expansion. Either way, the Saudis are positioning themselves at the center of a historic moment. This follows Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, who has been doffing the Kingdom’s 15th century ways and is eager to make Saudi a global power. After early stumbles, he has become adept at playing all sides against the middle. He is cultivating diplomatic relations with Moscow, Beijing, India, and other world powers. He even feigns diplomacy with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mostly, he managed to overcome President Biden’s initial hostility. Compared to the last four years, relations with Mr. Trump would seem like an easy street for Prince Mohamed. Yet, the man known as MbS declined Washington’s plea to keep crude prices on the low side. At the same time he pledges heavy investments in America. Even LIV and the PGA might coexist. While Riyadh hosts Ukraine talks, it is also inviting five Arab countries this week to help Egypt develop a counteroffer to Mr. Trump’s “Mideast Riviera” plan. Regardless of today’s Ukraine talks results, and of next week’s full Arab summit on Gaza, the Crown Prince is emerging as a player — and Mr. Trump appears determined to see what he can do. He likely hopes to leverage that recognition to promote business in America. Yet MbS will truly arrive only once he normalizes ties with Israel and solidifies a Mideast alliance to weaken Tehran. That’s when we’ll know whether Mr. Trump’s bet has paid off.

Saudi Arabia’s Turn

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