Qatar- Tiran Sanafir Syria Yemen and 'Vision 2030'

Everyone asks what is behind the secret of so much enthusiasm and spirit that has prevailed in the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia since the first fighter plane took off from Khamis Mushait Airport more than two years ago to bomb the hideouts of Houthis in Yemen. That was the beginning of the drumbeat of the Decisive Storm that has not yet ended. It is not only in Yemen but it has now extended to Malaysia and centre of Africa.

Why does Saudi Arabia insist on expelling Iran from Syria at any cost and maybe from Iraq and Lebanon too? Why does Riyadh now want to get back the two islands- Tiran and Sanafir from Egypt? Someone asked “Why did Saudi Arabia do this now while being aware that this will have a negative impact and cause discomfort to its allied government in Cairo?” Why now after they were left under Egypt’s protection for long decades? Why did it not want to wait for one or two more years?

The answers to these questions are in the ‘Vision 2030’ of the Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

“We have three strong points (whether used or unused) no one can compete with us in these” said bin Salman in a televised interview aired by Al Arabia Channel on Monday. The three points are Islam huge investment capability and geographical location.

In a separate meeting with a small group of Saudi scribes scholars and clerics the Prince explained in detail that the Kingdom supports the real moderate Islam and how Iran Al Qaeda and Daesh cannot represent it despite their worldwide operations. Iran’s divisive activities stretch from Indonesia in the East to Nigeria in the West. Daesh and al Qaeda are also active from East to West.

Riyadh has begun to combat their advancement and has made remarkable achievements. Iran’s activities are being contained in several countries which have stopped them some of them snapping ties with Tehran. The ideological war on Daesh and al Qaeda has taken ona larger dimensionnot only with the help of Saudi preachers and callers to Islam who will be sent but also through supporting official Islamic institutions in the respective countries.

There is no ‘Saudi Islam’ as alleged by US President Barak Obama. I recall a radio program entitled“Only one Islam” that was broadcast by Riyadh Radio in 1970of the last century. The program was presented by Zahir Al Ayubi. The program had an Islamic solidarity message that was actually designed and made successful by the late King Faisal and as a result during those decades the Kingdom emerged as an excellent supporter of moderate Islam in the view of Muslim people. This politically and religiously correct term “moderate” was repeated several times in the Saudi Vision 2030.

The vision requires capacity of investment to substitute the dependency on oil. Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to invest in the geographical location of Saudi to benefit its people and the people of the neighbouring countries in the region.

But the problem is that a country like Iran has its own contrary ‘Vision of 2030’ which is not based on good neighbourhood mutual interests or peace and stability. It is rather based on the smuggling of weapons conspiracy and toppling of regimesin order to impose the obedience to the Guardianship of the Shi’a Islamic jurists based in Tehran. Saudi never behaves like this but instead signs contracts and establishes strategic alliances with governments- not with underground parties working outside of the law or with militias.

In order to manifest the Saudi vision and make Saudi links global with trade routes between three continents (Asia Europe and Africa)it needs neighbours who share the same vision. Of course none of these neighbours should be Yemen under Irani rule through the Houthi militias or Syria under the sectarian regime.

A quick glance at the map of this region shows that there are efforts to keep Iran out of our world along with strategic alliances and coordination councils such as the one signed with Turkey Egypt and Jordan a few days ago.

More agreements are on their way with Pakistan to renew an old alliance which was weakened due to the situation in Pakistan Parvez Musharraf’s coup and Iraniansectarian interventions. Pakistan is also expected to renew its old economic Vision 2020 which was set up by its Minister of Economy Ahsan Iqbal twenty years ago. I remember I interviewed him at that time but the plan was cancelled following the coup ofParvez and now he wants to re-adopt it under Nawaz Sharif’s government. Ahsan was in Riyadh last week and I talked to him about the Saudi vision and he said it will also benefit his country.

He pointed out that long term economic plans need political stability giving the example of S. Korea and Japan which ruled for many decades through one party. Saudi is enjoying a similar stable situationand this will help in the successful implementation of the plan. This strategy will not only benefit Saudi but the whole region contrary to Iran’s strategy.

Looking at the region we can see projects complementing the Saudi vision. Dubai for instance has almost completed its infrastructure projects and it has become a hub of global investment.Duqm port in Oman Lusail business city of Qatar Abu Dhabi and its economic power- all these will benefit from the Saudi Vision 2030.

The Saudi vision will link the Far East with Near East of Asia. The Port of King Abdullah in the Red Sea has the capacity to expand twenty times and will link Africa with Europe. This will be complemented with King Salman’s bridge which will pass through Tiran Island and will become the largest crossing in the world according to Prince Mohammed. The missed link in this network (which will providehundreds of thousands of job opportunities to Saudis Egyptians Jordanians Africans and Asians) is Yemen and the Levant whose people are suffering under an Iranian proxy war. Iran has preferred aggression instead of the partnership and integration which are preferred by Turkey.

This has kept Saudi Arabia busy with the rearrangement of the security of the region to stop any deterioration in order to grant stability and a decent life for Saudis and non-Saudis in the region. Peoples are not longing to overthrow regimes after what they have seen in the Arab Spring countries but ‘quality of life’ which is a term used in the Saudi Vision 2030 several times needs to be understood carefully and countries which do not provide this for their people must exit out of history.

The writer is a Saudi Arabian journalist columnist author and the General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Al Arab News Channel.