The crown prince’s historic visit to the US this week crowned these bilateral relations, elevating Saudi Arabia to the status of a major non-NATO ally and a trusted strategic partner.
Even Jake Sullivan, former United States president Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said “the Washington Consensus is a promise that was not kept[.]”
It wouldn’t have cost Trump anything to show a clear intent to deter in a strategically crucial moment; it wouldn’t even have undermined his efforts in Ukraine.