What the 70th Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, related in his recently published memoirs, titled "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love", about Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman is considered as a sign of nobility and faithfulness in human and diplomatic norms. Pompeo did justice to the Saudi Crown Prince, when the most prominent media outlets, especially The Washington Post, The New York Times and others, attacked him over and over again and leveled lies, falsehoods, fabrications and rumors against him. What Pompeo wrote with regard to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not simply courtesy or diplomacy on his part. Rather, it is a vindication of the testimony upheld by the sons and daughters of Saudi Arabia, and they repeated it many a time on all platforms, just as it was uttered by his opponents before his friends. Whoever has any doubts about this can search meticulously on the search engines on the World Wide Web, to find out the answers from his own people first. The former US Secretary of State described Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a 'reformer.' He emphasized that Mohammed bin Salman "will prove to be one of the most important leaders of his time, a truly historic figure on the world stage." Indeed, everyone who knows Prince Mohammed bin Salman closely or sat with him or talked with him, will not come out with an impression less than that, and that is a fair testament to the leadership of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, from an American politician and potential Republican candidate in the 2024 US presidential race. This is to be particularly noted since Saudi Arabia dealt with the issue of the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with quick and overt steps that were in full view of the world, as it investigated, scrutinized and tried the accused, and issued verdicts that included death penalty against those involved in the crime until the file was closed. Pompeo did not fail to criticize the 'exaggerated' reaction at the US domestic front, describing it as 'false anger fueled by some media outlets' that are funded by governments that are hostile to the Kingdom. Pompeo explains in his memoirs the strength of his diplomatic relationship with Riyadh, and that his response to those media outlets was tantamount to raising "The middle finger" as a metaphor for insulting the American media, which have crossed the reasonable limits in their dealings with the Saudi Crown Prince, featuring an "unjustified" prejudice. Pompeo said literally: "What really made the media madder than a vegan in a slaughterhouse was our relationship with Saudi Arabia." He describes The Washington Post and The New York Times, and other newspapers as "bed-wetters," stressing that 'they didn't have a grip on reality.' Pompeo has placed himself in a lofty position among a large number of American leaders who have been dealing with Saudi Arabia and its successive leaders with a great deal of respect and appreciation. In fact, the tensions in the Saudi-American relations were caused by some democratic leaders, especially former President Barack Obama, whose heinous political and strategic mistakes led to further turmoil in the Middle East. Those mistakes allowed extremist terrorist organizations to catch their breath to wreak havoc in the region, and emerged a situation that gave free rein to Iran to play and have fun as it wants. Is there anyone who does not remember Obama's disastrous tour in the beginning of his presidency, the most remarkable of which was his famous speech at Cairo University? That speech was a scandalous flirtation with the Muslim Brotherhood, and its extensions that include political Islam groups, encouraging them to trigger chaos in a troubled region. Despite the great things that Pompeo have articulated in his memoirs, they are not sufficient in themselves to demonstrate the true leadership capabilities of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which was manifested in the Kingdom's Vision 2023, as well as in the shining thoughts behind it, apart from the policies of reform and societal openness that he managed with unprecedented courage and confidence. This led to a radical change in the Saudi landscape from within. These were the achievements that Saudi Arabia has reinforced through its Presidency of G20, the bloc of the 20 largest economies in the world, as well as through the efforts made by the Kingdom to achieve stability in global oil markets, and its huge efforts to address the problem of climate change at a faster pace and greater commitment. It should be added to the remarkable achievements of the Saudi Crown Prince in terms of the vital role through which the Kingdom confronted Iranian destabilization; closing the Yemeni ranks to find a sustainable solution to the Yemeni crisis, and encouraging the Sudanese to settle their differences to save their country, apart from extending support and assistance to several Arab and Islamic countries. Prince Mohammed bin Salman's decisiveness and determination were evident in his solid political stances that prompted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to settle his differences with Riyadh and radically change his stance. As for the American Democrats, they will not give up their unwarranted hostility to the Kingdom. That is why a number of them are planning in the US Congress to pass bills that harm Saudi Arabia. They are doing this by totally pretending their blindness to the Kingdom's vital role in stabilizing global energy markets as well as its security cooperation with Washington, in a way that protects the world from the evil of terrorist attacks, especially since Riyadh leads the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. What is certain is that Pompeo put his finger on the wound, when he explicitly stated in his book that the "US strategic partnership with the Kingdom matters to Americans from New Hampshire to Iowa and from South Carolina to Nevada." These are the "key" states for nomination of any candidates from primaries for the US presidency. It is to be noted that Pompeo unveiled the mask of diplomacy, to confront the Americans with the facts that they must hear these facts as they really are, by saying in the memoir: There is no doubt that the praise for Saudi Arabia will inspire a large group of writers to publish articles about Pompeo, the justifier and defender of the mistakes of the Saudis. So be it... But there should be a focus on their names as these writers are those who supported the payment of billions to the Ayatollah, who killed more journalists and activists than all the victims of journalists around the world. Did he mention the name of former President Obama? That is left to the discernment of the reader. Pompeo added that those critics are calling for impossible changes in the Kingdom, at a pace which no country, including America, can withstand, and they condone the backwardness and crimes of the Ayatollah, and gladly bless the rapprochement with him at the expense of our Saudi ally.
