![\"F-35s,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/trump-with-mbs.jpg\" "\\"<p>AI")
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AI image for representation only.<\/p>\n
TL;DR: Driving the back<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump<\/a> welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aka MBS<\/a> with military fanfare, a black-tie dinner, and a stack of bilateral deals. The prince pledged up to $1 trillion in Saudi investment into the US and secured American commitments on everything from F-35 fighter jets to cutting-edge artificial intelligence infrastructure.This visit wasn\u2019t just a diplomatic victory lap – it was a geopolitical rebranding. Just seven years ago, US intelligence concluded that the crown prince had likely approved the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi – a scandal that turned him into a diplomatic pariah in Washington.<\/p>\n Boost For Saudi Airpower; Trump Says U.S. Will Sell F-35 Aircraft To Riyadh Despite Israeli Concerns<\/p>\n His journey from a \u201cpariah\u201d to indispensable player says as much about US\u2019s priorities as it does about his own tenacity.<\/p>\n Why it matters<\/p>\n Crown Prince Mohammed\u2019s return to Washington underscores one of the most dramatic image rehabilitations in modern global politics.Once shunned, the 40-year-old leader has now positioned himself as a pivotal player in shaping the future of the Middle East – and as a partner Washington increasingly can\u2019t afford to ignore.\u201cMBS has made Saudi Arabia more relevant to US interests than ever before,\u201d Meghan O\u2019Sullivan, an energy expert and director at Harvard\u2019s Belfer Center, told the New York Times. She pointed to his ability to tie together a modern oil policy with an aggressive tech and investment strategy that\u2019s hard for the US to resist.He also leveraged a familiar strategic card: China. By making clear that any American hesitation would lead Riyadh to deepen tech and military ties with Beijing, MBS upped the stakes and played Washington against its biggest rival.In short, he has made himself indispensable to the US.<\/p>\n The big picture<\/p>\n The visit saw Crown Prince Mohammed walk away with at least three major wins:Access to US military hardware: Trump confirmed the go-ahead for selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia – a move previously off-limits due to Israel\u2019s exclusive access in the region.AI and semiconductor support: Saudi Arabia will now get access to advanced American chips, vital to the crown prince\u2019s goal of making the kingdom a regional artificial intelligence hub.Massive economic engagement: MBS announced that Saudi investment in the US would rise to $1 trillion – a staggering figure, even if details were sparse.At the same time, Saudi Arabia deftly delayed controversial deliverables. There was no commitment to join the Abraham Accords – a normalization process between Arab states and Israel – without progress on a two-state solution for PalestiniansStill, the broader optics were clear: MBS was not just back – he was steering the conversation.<\/p>\n Between the lines<\/p>\n Behind the handshakes and headlines lies a complicated balance of interests and contradictions.For Trump, the crown prince represents a partner who speaks the language of deals and leverage – and one who\u2019s willing to flatter and engage directly. Trump praised MBS as \u201ca man of leadership\u201d and offered symbolic gifts, including a designation of Saudi Arabia as a major non-Nato ally.For MBS, Trump offers something President Joe Biden could not: a clean break from the Khashoggi controversy. Trump waved off the 2018 killing by calling Khashoggi \u201cextremely controversial\u201d and telling reporters, \u201cThings happen,\u201d brushing aside the intelligence community\u2019s findings in front of cameras.For critics, the visit was a painful reminder of just how fast moral outrage can fade when confronted with money, oil, and strategic value. Raed Jarrar, from DAWN, a human rights organization founded by Khashoggi, said, \u201cPresident Trump has Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s blood on his hands.\u201dEven so, MBS came prepared. When asked about Khashoggi\u2019s murder, he responded, \u201cIt\u2019s really painful to hear anyone losing his life for not real purpose or not in a legal way\u2026 We\u2019ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that.\u201d<\/p>\n The symbolism of swag<\/p>\n Technically, this was not a state visit, since MBS is not head of state. In practice, it had all the trappings: the red carpet, the Marine band and the black-tie dinner.Fighter jet flyovers rumbled overhead as Trump and MBS met on the South Lawn.Horse-mounted honor guards greeted the prince.Inside, a glamorous state-style dinner featured AI titans like Nvidia\u2019s Jensen Huang, Tesla and SpaceX\u2019s Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and sports stars like Cristiano Ronaldo – who plays for a Saudi club.The menu? Pistachio-crusted rack of lamb and couverture mousse pear for dessert.MBS didn\u2019t just visit – he arrived as royalty-in-waiting.<\/p>\n The symbolism of swag<\/p>\n Technically, this was not a state visit, since MBS is not head of state. In practice, it had all the trappings: the red carpet, the Marine band and the black-tie dinner.Fighter jet flyovers rumbled overhead as Trump and MBS met on the South Lawn.Horse-mounted honor guards greeted the prince.Inside, a glamorous state-style dinner featured AI titans like Nvidia\u2019s Jensen Huang, Tesla and SpaceX\u2019s Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and sports stars like Cristiano Ronaldo – who plays for a Saudi club.The menu? Pistachio-crusted rack of lamb and couverture mousse pear for dessert.MBS didn\u2019t just visit – he arrived as royalty-in-waiting.<\/p>\n Playing the China card<\/p>\n In the lead-up to the visit, the crown prince let it be known that if Washington hesitated on technology transfer, Beijing would not. Without naming China directly in the Oval Office, Mohammed bin Salman made it clear that \u201cBeijing was willing to step in to supply any technology that Washington hesitated to provide.\u201dThat is not an idle threat. Saudi Arabia has hosted joint naval exercises with China and granted Beijing a role in mediating the reopening of embassies between Riyadh and Tehran. China has already become the kingdom\u2019s largest trading partner, even as the United States remains its main arms supplier.\u201cHe has skillfully played the China card, suggesting that what Washington holds back will effectively be supplied by Beijing,\u201d Meghan O\u2019Sullivan told the NYT.The message is simple: if the United States wants to keep its influence, it can no longer treat Saudi Arabia as a junior partner. It has to treat it as a swing state in a global competition.<\/p>\n What didn\u2019t happen<\/p>\n Not everything on the Saudi wish list materialized:The nuclear deal: Still unresolved. At stake is whether Saudi Arabia will be allowed to enrich uranium, a red line for many in Washington who worry it could lead to a weapons program.A binding defense pact: The announced agreement was framed as a \u201cStrategic Defense Agreement,\u201d with few details and no mutual defense clauses like those in Nato treaties. Congress has not ratified it, and it\u2019s unclear how far it would go in a military crisis.Normalization with Israel: MBS once again offered support in principle – but insisted that Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords depends on a clear path toward a two-state solution. That condition remains a non-starter for Prime Minister Netanyahu and much of Israel\u2019s political class.So while the visit yielded headlines, some of the most consequential shifts remain in motion.<\/p>\n Zoom in: The Khashoggi question<\/p>\n If there was a moment that crystallized the moral complexity of MBS\u2019s resurgence, it came during an Oval Office exchange with reporters.When a journalist raised the issue of Khashoggi\u2019s murder, Trump snapped: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that.\u201d He then pivoted into defending the crown prince by suggesting MBS \u201cknew nothing about it\u201d – a view contradicted by US intelligence reports.Crown Prince Mohammed, for his part, didn\u2019t duck. \u201cIt\u2019s painful and it was a huge mistake,\u201d he said, while highlighting reforms and improved oversight since the killing.The calculated symmetry between Trump\u2019s political instincts and MBS\u2019s strategic answers made for a moment of mutual absolution.<\/p>\n Inside the Kingdom: Liberation and fear<\/p>\n The prince\u2019s external rehabilitation is built on a domestic project that is part liberalization, part fear.Inside Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman has carried out what Reuters describes as a social transformation unmatched since his grandfather founded the modern kingdom. The once powerful religious police have been sidelined. Women can drive, work and appear in mixed spaces. The kingdom now hosts concerts, fashion shows and sporting events that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.Pop stars like Jennifer Lopez and Camila Cabello have performed in Riyadh in revealing outfits, while luxury designers send models down runways in front of international celebrities. The aim is to recast Saudi Arabia from a closed religious state into a modern, open destination for tourism, entertainment and investment.At the same time, political dissent has been crushed. Activists, journalists and critics have been jailed, and rival centers of power have been neutralized. The message is that reform is a one-way street, controlled entirely from the top. People can enjoy music festivals and mixed-gender cafes, but they cannot criticize the person who allowed those changes.<\/p>\n The trillion-dollar question<\/p>\n One of the flashiest parts of MBS\u2019s return was his claim that Saudi investment in the US would rise to $1 trillion – a $400 billion bump from what was pledged earlier this year.The crown prince used the Oval Office to announce that Saudi Arabia would increase its planned investment in the United States from $600 billion, pledged during Trump\u2019s trip to Riyadh in May, to $1 trillion. \u201cWhat you\u2019re creating is not about an opportunity today. It\u2019s also about long-term opportunity,\u201d he told the president.But skeptics were quick to point out that no timelines were offered, nor details on sectors or execution.The number may be aspirational, designed to impress. Yet it serves another purpose: solidifying MBS\u2019s place at the center of Washington\u2019s economic imagination. Oil wealth, venture capital, tech partnerships – these are the new levers of influence.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next<\/p>\n With the White House visit behind him, MBS now turns to a Saudi-hosted investment summit featuring global CEOs and dignitaries. The message: Saudi Arabia is open for business, anchored by Vision 2030 – a blueprint to diversify the kingdom\u2019s economy beyond oil.But for all the red carpets and closed-door deals, much still depends on the fine print:Congress will weigh in on F-35 sales and nuclear technology transfers.Israel will push back if it feels its military edge is being compromised.Human rights advocates will continue to raise alarms about suppression and executions under MBS\u2019s rule.Yet the trajectory is clear: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman isn\u2019t just back – he\u2019s dictating the new terms of engagement. And Washington, for now, is listening.(With inputs from agencies)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AI image for representation only. 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