Trump’s threat is purely economic, employing the power of coercion and open blackmail, to keep a ‘servant’ perpetually under subjugation from attaining economic independence.
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.
While China has warned of serious consequences and may impose sanctions, the US frames the sale as a necessary sustainment measure for existing aircraft rather than an escalation.
The erratic tariff policy pursued by the U.S. president and his administration has so far mainly served to strengthen ties between countries in the Global South and Beijing, and, where relevant, Moscow.