The key facts
- Trump demanded that countries defended by the US reimburse the costs of the war with Iran and separately mentioned Israel
- Orientalist Andrey Chuprygin believes the Arab states will not pay and calls the demands a 'stream of consciousness'
- According to the expert, the events of the past year have pushed the region's countries toward greater independence in security matters
Trump's demand and the expert's assessment
Donald Trump has demanded that the countries the US defended during the war with Iran reimburse all expenses. He separately mentioned Israel, saying that without Washington's support it could have ceased to exist. This is recalled by Life.ru.
Why the expert does not expect payments
The Persian Gulf countries will not compensate the US for the costs of military operations against Iran, believes Andrey Chuprygin, a lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies at HSE University Andrey Chuprygin. In his view, Trump's demands are linked to an attempt to support his team after the Republicans' defeat in the congressional elections, while promises to secure large payments are a way to show that the president is still capable of changing the situation in his favor. He sees no real grounds to expect money from the Arab states.
'Stream of consciousness' and conclusions for the region
'Moreover, I am convinced that Trump himself does not expect anyone to compensate him for anything. This is all what we call a stream of consciousness,' Chuprygin noted in a comment to NSN. In his assessment, the events of the past year have pushed the countries of the region toward greater independence in security matters and demonstrated the unreliability of relying on the American leader. At the same time, the scholar does not expect the US to leave the Middle East.
