In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
A message to President Donald Trump
Your Excellency President Trump, I am pleased first to congratulate you on winning the leadership of this great country, and I am also pleased to congratulate the great American people on electing you as their loyal leader during the upcoming presidential term.
Based on your significant political and economic history and what is known about your courage, wisdom, and keen vision that have contributed to enhancing the role of the United States in global development and stability, allow me, Your Excellency, to invite you to an objective reading of a project to build a unique strategic relationship with my great nation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on a history that goes back nearly 100 years since King Abdulaziz met President Roosevelt, and these two exceptional leaders were able to establish a solid and deep-rooted relationship between the two countries. A relationship that has continued until the writing of this letter and is growing stronger and more established.
First, allow me, Your Excellency, to admit that I am not a politician, nor do I master the language of politicians, and I am not a media person, nor do I understand the art of praise, and I am not a government employee, so I have no ulterior motive. However, I grew up in an objective professional academic environment that relies on modern education from the American Academy represented by the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and the State University of New York in Albany, from which I derived an important part of my knowledge and academic achievement. Before that, I was born and raised in a rural Saudi community known for its honesty and straightforwardness, far from flattery and sycophancy. Therefore, my talk to you will be from the heart, a conversation from an ordinary citizen who owes his patriotism to this generous country and his professionalism to your great country.
Your Excellency, allow me to remind you that the subject of this strategic partnership concerns a unique country in every sense of the word. Just to remind you of some of its characteristics:
1- The Kingdom has witnessed unique political stability for more than a hundred years, and many members of Congress have relied on this when making important strategic decisions concerning the Kingdom, as was the case when selling AWACS aircraft in the 1980s.
2- The Kingdom leads a Gulf community, and Arabs look to it and its leadership with love and respect.
3- The Kingdom embraces a unique community that carries wonderful social values and is characterized by seriousness, integrity, and discipline. The American ambassador mentioned this in the 1980s at the end of his term when asked about the Kingdom, saying he wished to raise his children there. A community where the ruler and the ruled are bound by the bond of a single family in a model that many media professionals outside the Kingdom do not comprehend.
4- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that leads a quarter of the world’s population. They pray to it five times a day, it lives in the heart of every Muslim, and it is viewed as their motherland, which they would sacrifice their souls and bodies for. No one will ever compete with it for that until the end of time. This sacred status has made it a home for all races and cultures, placing it at the heart of the global peace process, which represents one of the strategic goals of the global peace that the United States seeks.
5- Economically, the Kingdom controls a quarter of the world’s oil reserves and puts all of that in the service of global price stability, which benefits all peoples. The Kingdom also ranks high in global exports and imports (one of the top 25 countries).
6- Geographically and strategically, the Kingdom occupies a unique geographical position as the gateway between the East and the West and the hub of global trade movement. It has harnessed this location to serve the movement of the global economy and trade, establishing roads, railways, and ports that serve the global economy.
7- The Kingdom is an open country to the cultures and civilizations of others. In our heritage, wisdom is the lost property of a Muslim; wherever he finds it, he is more deserving of it. Currently, more than 123 nationalities (including our American friends) live among us and work with us, sharing in building our civilization and sharing the blessings of our country.
8- The Kingdom is known as a land of peace and tranquility. When one of the prominent regional leaders was asked about his love for the Kingdom, he replied that it is a peaceful country with no ambitions beyond its borders.
In short, it is enough that the Kingdom embraces Mecca and Dhahran. Here is the spirit, and there is the wealth, and in their meeting lies richness, empowerment, support, and peace.
On the other hand, Your Excellency, you lead a great country, a country that produces more than 25% of the world’s economic wealth, a country that possesses the strongest military arsenal in the world, the best research centers and global universities, the most professional factories, the most effective medical centers on Earth, and the most humanitarian aid. It is led by a man with high charisma and courage wrapped in wisdom.
Here lies the strength of the partnership between these two unique poles. Therefore, perhaps, Your Excellency, we can move beyond focusing on minor issues to the positive global concerns and issues that matter to both peoples and all the peoples of the world. Mr. President, the book by American author Richard Carlson, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” would not have become one of the best-selling books in the United States if it had not resonated with the culture and inclinations of the American people to move beyond trivial matters to their concerns.
Mr. President, perhaps we can build on the unique attributes highlighted in both countries and on the close relationship you share with our leaders to forge a strategic partnership with your friends, King Salman and HRH Crown Prince Mohammed. This historic and unique strategic partnership would not only have a positive impact on both countries but would also extend its benefits to the entire world.. The strength of all is greater than the strength of its individual parts. When President Kennedy visited the NASA space station, he found a janitor cleaning the floor at its entrance. When the president asked him what he was doing, he replied, “We, my colleagues and I, are working to help the American man land on the moon.” Yes, shared direction and teamwork is strength.
Your Excellency, we have rare historical opportunities that will only be realized through a solid strategic partnership. In the economic dimension – for example only – I cannot count the promising economic programs that are expected to be achieved by our partnership at the local level, such as the tremendous economic programs currently being experienced by the Kingdom, and at the regional level, such as the programs and projects for the reconstruction of infrastructures of 6 countries in the region with projects exceeding a cost of more than 3 trillion dollars. Yes, our partnership is still strong and solid, but it needs restructuring to respond to the challenges of the phase and the conditions of the region, and to turn challenges into opportunities. You may agree with me that it is a historic opportunity to build a solid strategic partnership with a country that possesses unique characteristics and combines the wisdom of the elders with the ambition of the youth. It may be a historical mark for you to add to your illustrious record.
As a Saudi citizen who carries a global concern, I (here, I speak for myself) eagerly await this partnership, which will have a significant contribution that extends beyond the two countries to human development, global stability, and the development of the entire international community.
All appreciation to you, Your Excellency.
May Allah grant everyone success in achieving global growth and stability,
The Saudi citizen
Fahad Saleh Al-Sultan
fahad@faact.sa
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