It is not the first time Trump has accused Saudi Arabia of failing to pull its weight on defense. During a presidential campaign rally in Wisconsin in 2016 he told the crowd: “They’re not paying us a fair price. We’re losing our shirt.”
But Miriam Eps, a regional security analyst at Le Beck, tells Newsweek that Saudi Arabia is willing to “look the other way” on this kind of rhetoric because of the opportunities Trump offers the kingdom.
“[Gulf] governments are probably willing to compromise on this issue in the face of improved relations and preferred policies under Trump. In other words, if the cost of doing better business with Trump is paying some more for defense, I think they will consider this a very good deal,” she says.
The National talks to Le Beck about joint US-GCC sanctions
“Given that one of the quartet’s primary complaints vis-a-vis Qatar relates to allegations of support to militant groups, this type of joint effort could be part of US efforts to bring the parties together,” said Miriam Eps, regional security analyst at Le Beck International.
Ms Eps said it could also be a message that, despite the ongoing rift and reports of a possible postponement of the annual GCC summit, the continuation of the organisation is not at risk.
Many were looking to the GCC summit, which is set to take place in December, as an opportunity for Kuwait to bring the two sides together, with Emir Sheikh Sabah the chief mediator in the dispute.
“Of course, with the parties seeming unable to agree to even talks, the involvement of Qatar in these sanctions could simply be notable but not representative of any change in the current status quo,” Ms Eps said.
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