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At Arab Summit, President boldly urges Muslim leaders to “drive out the terrorists and extremists” from their nations and houses of worship. (My analysis of the historic and well-crafted speech.)

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(Washington, D.C.) — Wow. Readers of this blog know I have never been shy about expressing my concerns about Mr. Trump when necessary. But the President deserves a great deal of credit for going to meet with our Sunni Arab allies in the Mideast and for the speech he delivered yesterday in Saudi Arabia to the leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries.

Finally we have an American President who wants to project American leadership — that of the world’s only superpower — in the Middle East.

The address was well-crafted and respectful, even nuanced, at times. But it was also clear, honest, and bold. Indeed, it was unlike any speech any American President has ever delivered face to face to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Jordan and other Muslim countries. Below, you’ll find key excerpts, a link to the full transcript and a link to the video of the full 34 minute speech. I would encourage you to both watch and read the address in full.

A few first impressions:

  1. The President rightly thanked America’s Sunni Muslim allies for their friendship and hospitality, he honored their historic achievements, rich culture and heritage, and he reached out a hand of friendship and support against common enemies.
  2. The President made it clear that the U.S. seeks “partners, not perfection—and to make allies of all who share our goals” — he thanked specific countries by name for working with the U.S. to fight terrorism.
  3. It was good to see the President be so respectful of the vast majority of Muslims who are not jihadists and want to fight terrorism — this was particularly notable given that as a candidate he called for a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S. (though he has since rightly modified that position).
  4. At the same time, the President was commendably clear and refreshingly honest that the region must confront “the crisis of Islamist extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires.” I was stunned but pleased to see the President dramatically warn that the souls of the radicals who kill innocents will be “condemned.” It was a line that echoed the brilliant and courageous speech given by Egyptian President el-Sisi at Al-Azhar University several years ago. This is no small matter. No other American President has ever made such direct statements on “Islamist extremism” in the heart of the Muslim world.
  5. The President rightly called out Iran and ISIS as the most dangerous and destabilizing forces in the region — he called for “eradicating ISIS,” then put special emphasis on working closely with the Sunnis to counter the Iranian threat. This was a sharp and very welcome contrast to President Obama’s approach of appeasing Iran.
  6. The President rightly noted the history of coexistence of Muslims, Christians and Jews in the region’s past, and urged the Muslim world to make peace with Israel — then explained he was headed to Jerusalem and Bethlehem to advance between the Israelis and Palestinians. He offered no specifics. Perhaps he can create a breakthrough in the peace process — he certainly believes he can — though I concede I’m somewhat skeptical for reasons I’ll write about soon.
  7. Overall, the speech will likely be very well received in the region — in addition with the President’s individual meetings with Arab leaders at the White House, the visit and speech will help re-set America’s alliances in the Arab Muslim world, which were terribly strained and dishonored during the Obama years. Indeed, the President’s visit is highlighting an increasingly unified U.S.-Sunni-Israeli alliance against Iran’s Shia apocalypticism and regional aggression. These are important and positive developments. Let’s pray the administration can carefully and wisely build on what was accomplished.

UPDATE: I commend to your attention this analysis by Amos Yadlin, a former senior intelligence chief in Israel. “The royal welcome the President received in Saudi Arabia and his meetings with a long list of Arab and Muslim leaders provide him with numerous accomplishments, [including]  the image of the authoritative leader of a superpower [and] the demonstration of a united front against Iran and the Islamic State….”

Key Excerpts:

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