This is apropos a letter to the Editor from this writer carried by the newspaper yesterday. I would like to add that Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, exemplifies this ambition. It is not just a plan of economic reform but a blueprint to reposition the Kingdom as a global cultural, technological, and diplomatic powerhouse. In a historic gesture, President Donald Trump — during his recent visit to the Kingdom—described the Crown Prince as “an incredible man” and a “great representative of the Saudi people,” applauding him for transforming Saudi Arabia in ways that have stunned even seasoned global business leaders.
Trump repeatedly emphasized the unparalleled hospitality and strategic foresight of the Saudi royal family, calling King Salman “a great man” and describing the transformation of the kingdom as “something the world has never seen before.” Trump’s decision to commence his new diplomatic agenda from Saudi Arabia, while bypassing other traditional giants like China, India, and Russia, signifies a profound geopolitical recalibration. His praise was not limited to polite diplomacy; it reflected a genuine recognition of the Kingdom’s newfound global weight.
What was once seen by the West as a region of camel caravans is now being courted by the most powerful man on the planet, not just for oil, but for investment, trade partnerships, and geopolitical leverage. In an extraordinary reversal of roles, the US President appealed to Saudi Arabia’s leadership to use its regional clout for brokering peace in Ukraine, promoting stability in the Middle East, and enabling economic partnerships worth trillions of dollars. Trump openly acknowledged that the kingdom’s “other industries have surpassed oil” and that its cities are now “global capitals of business, culture, and high-tech innovation.” He declared the Middle East the new “center of the world” and said the world must now look at the region not as a source of chaos, but of opportunity, vision, and peace.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a former Press Secretary to the President, An ex-Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France, a former MD, SRBC Macomb, Detroit, Michigan