From ... in Alternative News — May 28, 2017

Trump’s Surprising Speech In Saudi Arabia & Signing Of The Largest U.S. Arms Deal To Date

A lot of change occurred within the global political landscape this week (or so it seems).

We saw President Donald Trump deliver a powerful keynote speech at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Saudi Arabia, where he signed the largest arms deal in U.S. history. Instead of being a speech about “radical Islam,” which many believe to be a creation of the western military alliance, his speech in Saudi Arabia was one that discussed a future of peace and unity. Though it still contained a bit of fear mongering, it came as a surprise to many. Trump even announced that the U.S. was going to stop financing terrorist groups, a move that presumably would upset the elite and those who profit off war and terror.

The fact that he has called out the US government multiple times for funding terrorism, is quite remarkable. It’s something that prior presidents never even talked about. During his visit, Trump also signed the United States’ single largest arms deal to date, valuing at a whopping $350 billion with Saudi Arabia. However, when it comes to politics, things are rarely as they seem. Why is the Trump administration rewarding Saudi Arabia’s war crimes with more weaponry, and how will his promises affect global politics? Before I begin to analyze Trump’s address, it’s important to note that he didn’t actually write his speech himself.

The speech was drafted by Stephen Miller, Senior Adviser for Policy and Speechwriter, who is well-known for his Islamophobic rhetorics, and the same individual who actually wrote Trump’s controversial travel ban. This is another clear example of why we cannot trust what politicians say. This speech wasn’t even produced by the President himself, it was drafted by an advisor, so who knows what his actual views are. Secondly, Trump made some fairly racist remarks during his campaign, and now he is all of a sudden a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. If anything, this is another example that proves how politicians will do and say anything in order to gain support from the public (or in many cases, the elite). Here are some of the notable quotes from the speech: After highlighting some of the more beautiful aspects of the Middle East, Trump explained, “But this untapped potential, this tremendous cause for optimism, is held at bay by bloodshed and terror.

There can be no coexistence with this violence.

There can be no tolerating it, no accepting it, no excusing it, and no ignoring it.” He then went on to address the sacredness of the land and why we shouldn’t be encouraging so much death and destructing, not just in the Middle East but everywhere, stating, “Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land.” Trump announced that the U.S. would act as a friend of Saudi Arabia’s, noting, “America is prepared to stand with you—in pursuit of shared interests and common security.” Here’s where the speech truly gets interesting. Up until this point, Trump has simply said some kind words on peace and a hopeful tomorrow, but now he proceeds to discuss how this newfound peace will come into fruition. Our partnerships will advance security through stability, not through radical disruption. We will make decisions based on real-world outcomes – not inflexible ideology. We will be guided by the lessons of experience, not the confines of rigid thinking. And, wherever possible, we will seek gradual reforms – not sudden intervention. Keep in mind that this is a very different stance than the U.S. government usually takes anywhere. Sudden intervention into conflicts in other countries has been the strategy of choice for many years now, and even the Trump administration demonstrated this when they chose to launch 50 missiles at Syria in response to the “chemical attack,” which the Syrian and Russian President claimed was a false-flag attack orchestrated by the United States. “Definitely, 100% for us, it’s fabrication... Our impression is that the West, mainly the United States, is hand-in-glove with the terrorists.

They fabricated the whole story in order to have a pretext for the attack,” President Assad said. You can read more about that in our CE article here. Nevertheless, perhaps Trump’s words are sincere, or maybe the U.S. government only wants to extend their kindness to Saudi Arabia for an ulterior motive. At this point, it’s unclear. However, if they do put a halt to sudden interventions, this will not be a welcomed approach by many corporations and the elite who profit off war and chaos. Trump continued: I am proud to announce that the nations here today will be signing an agreement to prevent the financing of terrorism, called the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center – co-chaired by the United States and Saudi Arabia, and joined by every member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is another historic step in a day that will be long remembered. This is perhaps the most noteworthy statement Trump made during his speech.

The U.S. has funded terrorist groups for at least the past 20 years, which has been proven by various government documents and has been openly discussed by numerous members of the government. Halting the funding to terrorist groups would be a huge financial loss to the U.S. government. U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard addressed U.S. arms sales to ISIS and other terrorist groups in a speech, offering a compelling call to action in the process: I return to Washington, DC with even greater resolve to end our illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government. I call upon Congress and the new Administration to answer the pleas of the Syrian people immediately and support the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. We must stop directly and indirectly supporting terrorists—directly by providing weapons, training and logistical support to rebel groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS; and indirectly through Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Turkey, who, in turn, support these terrorist groups. We must end our war to overthrow the Syrian government and focus our attention on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS. You can read our CE article about it here.

The Treasury described the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) as a “collaborative approach to confronting new and evolving threats arising from terrorist financing.” The TFTC’s primary goals include identifying, tracking and sharing information on terrorist financing, with a focus on disrupting the flow of finances and weaponry while also providing support to the region in order to deprive radical groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda. To be clear, these are the very groups that the U.S. funds, so this would be a significant change in regime for the U.S. government. Congresswoman Gabbard actually already commented on the TFTC, referring to it as a “farce,” which isn’t much of a surprise given many of the countries history in funding terrorists and their extreme interpretation of Islam. So, how does the new U.S. arms deal with Saudi Arabia relate to all of this? In October 2016, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed an entire funeral hall in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, injuring and killing hundreds of civilians. Almost immediately after, the Obama administration suspended the sale of approximately $400 million worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia.

The United Nations statement on Yemen states, “Nearly 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished and require urgent care. At least 462,000 children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a drastic increase of almost 200 per cent since 2014.” What’s worse is that the U.S. is in part to blame for this, as Human Rights Watch found remnants of U.S. laser-guided or satellite-guided munitions at three strike locations, two of which resulted in civilian casualties.

The worsening state of Yemen is also a direct result of the war fuelled by the Saudis, who purchase arms from the U.S.. In December 2016, the U.S. announced that they would stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia due to the extreme violence and increasing number of deaths in Yemen. However, this was likely a PR stunt, as the U.S. was still planning to continue to support Morocco, Qatar, and the U.A.E. at the time, which all play significant roles in the Saudi-led coalition. Even Congresswoman Gabbard was quoted as saying that the “CIA has also been funnelling weapons and money through Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and others who provide direct and indirect support to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.” And now, we have Trump, who literally just expressed his sentiments to all countries experiencing war and terror and pledged to help create a more peaceful future for all, signing a $350 billion deal to sell weapons to a country that fuels war and terror. It makes you question why he gave that speech in the first place: Was it all just a massive PR stunt to make the public think that the U.S. is fighting war and terror, when in reality they’re funding it? “This package of defense equipment and services supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of malign Iranian influence and Iranian related threats. Additionally, it bolsters the Kingdom’s ability to provide for its own security and continue contributing to counterterrorism operations across the region, reducing the burden on US military forces.” To me, this sounds as if Trump wants Saudi Arabia to do the U.S. government’s dirty work. This begs the question: How long will Saudi Arabia agree to do so? By holding active deals with Saudi Arabia, the U.S. government isn’t just putting their reputation at risk, they’re putting all Americans in the cross fire, so to speak. If the U.S. continues to sell arms to a country that has violated the laws of war numerous times, it’s exposing U.S. officials to legal liability for aiding and abetting coalition war crimes. Let’s keep in mind that Trump isn’t really the one who’s in charge here, he could just be the political puppet of choice. We know he didn’t write the speech, and realistically he’s probably not making these decisions either. Ask yourself: What groups of people profit from chaos and violence the most? When it comes to alleged “terrorist attacks,” wars, and any type of violence or chaos, the sad truth is that the government, the shadow government, or the elite are often involved. Regardless, the U.S. government is ultimately controlled by the cabal, but both of them have two common interests: profit and control. So, is Trump really looking to inspire peace, or is he somehow profiting from the chaos? Perhaps the answer to that question is both, but after looking at this new Saudi Arabia arms deal, it’s clear that there is truth in the latter. On a final note, this information isn’t meant to scare readers. We believe that through education and raising consciousness, we can create positive change.

The more we think for ourselves and search for the truth, the greater the potential for change! .

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Trump’s Surprising Speech In Saudi Arabia & Signing Of The Largest U.S. Arms Deal To Date

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