President Trump’s visit to Riyadh may prove to be one of the most consequential foreign policy moments of his presidency.

With a sweeping economic agreement, a recalibrated stance on Syria, and a push for expanded Arab-Israeli normalization, Trump is reshaping the region’s geopolitical landscape — this time not through military force, but through investment, diplomacy, and strategic leverage.

At the heart of the trip was a bold vision: that economic strength and commercial partnerships can deliver stability and peace in ways that endless wars and foreign aid never have. While critics argue about the risks, one thing is clear — Trump’s approach marks a sharp departure from the Biden-Harris administration’s passive strategy, which allowed Russia, Iran, and China to deepen their economic and military footholds across the Middle East.

The U.S.-Saudi Pact: A Transactional Partnership for the 21st Century

Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia delivered a headline-grabbing $600 billion investment pledge into the U.S. economy. The package included commitments to American industries spanning defense, energy, and emerging technologies. It was not only an affirmation of the enduring U.S.-Saudi relationship — it was a powerful signal that Gulf capital is flowing westward, not eastward to Beijing or into Moscow’s orbit.

A central piece of the deal was a historic $142 billion arms agreement, bringing U.S. defense firms into deep alignment with Saudi national security goals. This includes upgrades in air defense, aerospace innovation, and digital warfare capabilities — technologies that would have otherwise been supplied by America's competitors had Uncle Sam stayed on the sidelines.

Saudi Arabia’s technological investments are equally important. By targeting U.S.-based giants in artificial intelligence and cloud computing, Riyadh is positioning itself as a tech-driven powerhouse under its Vision 2030 reforms—while simultaneously giving American innovators a foothold in a lucrative and rapidly modernizing market. Trump’s deal steers Saudi ambitions westward, directly competing with China’s Belt and Road overtures and curbing Huawei’s reach in regional telecom networks.

Trump’s re-engagement with Riyadh also attracted America’s top entrepreneurs — figures like Elon Musk and Jensen Huang — demonstrating that the private sector is eager to follow Washington’s lead. The broader message was unmistakable: the United States is not retreating from the Middle East; it is redefining the terms of engagement in its favor.

A Risky but Calculated Syria Pivot

Perhaps the most surprising element of the visit was Trump’s announcement lifting all U.S. sanctions on Syria. The sanctions had devastated the country’s economy and driven Damascus closer to Russia and Iran, which used Syrian territory as a strategic launchpad to challenge U.S. interests and threaten Israel.

Trump’s shift is undeniably risky. Syria’s interim leadership includes figures with deeply troubling pasts, and the road to full rehabilitation is long. But in Trump’s view, economic integration can do more to neutralize threats than isolation ever could. By removing sanctions and opening the door to foreign investment, the U.S. now has a chance to permanently pull Syria out of Iran’s orbit and eliminate Russian leverage in a country where Moscow previously enjoyed near-total dominance.

The decision was backed by key regional players — including Turkey and Saudi Arabia — who see Syrian reconstruction not just as a humanitarian imperative but as a business opportunity. If American firms lead the rebuilding, it would not only create jobs at home but also reduce the space for Chinese and Russian state-owned enterprises, which had been angling for Syrian infrastructure contracts under Biden and Harris’s disengaged watch. Any chance of Iran reasserting its military strength in the country would likewise be dashed.

Normalizing Israel’s Place in the Region

Though his itinerary excluded a formal stop in Israel, Trump’s entire strategy is built on reinforcing Israel’s long-term security by knitting it into a broader network of normalized relationships. His call for Saudi Arabia and Syria to join the Abraham Accords wasn’t just aspirational — it was foundational.

The Abraham Accords, first signed during Trump’s first term, began a quiet but powerful realignment: Arab states openly embracing economic and diplomatic ties with Israel. Trump’s latest push seeks to expand that framework, moving beyond symbolic gestures to establish real trade, technology, and defense cooperation between Israel and the rest of the Middle East.

This approach does not marginalize Israel; it strengthens its strategic position by surrounding it with allies rather than adversaries. Saudi Arabia’s cautious openness to normalization—though still tied to Palestinian statehood considerations — signals growing acceptance of Israel’s permanence and prosperity.

Trump’s broader strategy to counter Iran also benefits Israel. Whether through airstrikes on Iranian proxies or diplomatic efforts to divide Syria from Tehran, every step undercuts Iran’s regional ambitions. Trump's proposed nuclear deal with Iran — offering sanctions relief in exchange for verifiable de-escalation — contrasts with Biden and Harris’s softer posture, which failed to constrain Iranian aggression or provide meaningful safeguards for Israel and America’s Gulf allies.

Reversing Biden’s Drift Toward Adversaries

Under President Biden, Russian and Chinese influence surged across the Middle East. Moscow tightened military ties with Syria and the Houthis in Yemen. Beijing signed sweeping energy and port infrastructure deals with Iran, Iraq, and the UAE. The region, sensing a vacuum left by a retreating Washington, began to hedge toward America’s adversaries.

Trump’s Riyadh initiative is a direct response to that drift. By reasserting U.S. leadership through hard economic leverage — backed by arms sales, energy collaboration, and elite tech partnerships — Trump is making it harder for Russia and China to compete for influence. His moves to stabilize Syria and broker Gulf-Israel normalization are designed not only to promote peace but to ensure that the region’s future is written in partnership with Washington, not dictated from Beijing, Tehran, or Moscow.

This strategic recalibration is not charity; it’s Realpolitik in America’s interest. By supporting economic growth abroad that flows back into American industries, Trump is delivering results for working-class voters and blue-collar constituencies that are often overlooked in foreign policy calculations.

Conclusion: America Leads Again—Through Strength and Prosperity

President Trump’s latest Middle East doctrine may defy traditional expectations, but it is grounded in clear, compelling logic: that peace built on prosperity is more enduring than peace enforced through occupation. Through shrewd dealmaking and clear-eyed diplomacy, he is pulling the region closer to the United States — while weakening adversarial footholds and encouraging long-overdue normalization with Israel.

The stakes are high. But so are the potential rewards: a Middle East in which American innovation, Israeli resilience, and Arab capital come together to outcompete Russian militarism, Iranian terror, and Chinese economic coercion.

For the American people — especially those who voted for Trump on promises of revitalization, security, and strength — it’s a bold step forward. Not just for peace abroad, but prosperity at home.

Dr. Joseph Ford Cotto hosts and produces News Sight, covering the current events that impact your life. During the 2024 presidential election, he created the Five-Point Forecast, which correctly predicted Trump's national victory and the outcome in all swing states. The author of numerous nonfiction books, Cotto holds a doctorate in business administration and is a Lean Six Sigma Certified Black Belt. In 2014, HLM King Kigeli V of Rwanda bestowed a hereditary knighthood on him. It was followed by a barony the next year.

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