The upcoming meetings between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington may prove among the most significant in the history of the 80-year relationship between their countries. These will not be routine or ceremonial meetings. They will cap months of negotiations on agreements designed to expand cooperation on a raft of energy, defense, technology and economic issues. The planned agreements are not transactional; they reflect a deliberate effort by each government to recast the strategic bedrock upon which this partnership shall stand for decades to come.

We will need to wait until the conclusion of the visit to learn the dollar value of the deals and the details surrounding the technology associated with each. In May, the US and Saudi Arabia announced a package of deals valued at about $600 billion. The size of these agreements make this more than a story of trade and employment, even if we keep in mind that it will take many months, if not years, for these agreements to play out.

Instead, the transformational potential they collectively offer each side will create an inflection point in the architecture of energy, security, regional stability and technological competitiveness, influencing global politics well into the mid-21st century. With these agreements, Riyadh, already one of Washington’s most important and trusted partners, will be positioned to play an even larger role in this multipolar world.

Saudi Arabia has a proud and venerable history. Archaeologists tell us that its sands have known the footsteps of mankind for more than 12,000 years. But the Kingdom’s political and economic transformation over the past decade is equally striking. Visitors to Riyadh now engage world-class investors and technologists on artificial intelligence in the morning, explore innovative energy opportunities in the afternoon, and enjoy an evening meal in historic Diriyah under the desert stars.

Global political, economic and business leaders routinely gather in Riyadh to resolve challenges. The recently concluded Future Investment Initiative showcased the Kingdom’s success in positioning itself at the intersection of innovation, advanced technology, finance and entertainment without losing its sense of national identity. This year’s summit drew a remarkable 20 heads of state. It is difficult to imagine a more tangible expression of global confidence in the Saudi leadership and its people.

The US-Saudi relationship, formalized in 1945 at the meeting between Franklin Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy, has experienced periods of great warmth and weathered disagreements. Yet every American president who has faced this complicated world has come to the same conclusion: Saudi Arabia’s partnership is indispensable to the peace, energy and security of our era. 

Visitors to Riyadh now engage world-class investors and technologists on artificial intelligence in the morning, explore innovative energy opportunities in the afternoon, and enjoy an evening meal in historic Diriyah under the desert stars.

Norman Roule

President Gerald Ford’s 1975 assessment well describes the relationship and captures the sense of the current moment: “We value the Kingdom’s stability and wisdom at a time of great change in the world.” In an era unsettled by violent conflict, intensifying great power competition and profound structural shifts in global energy markets, that logic carries added weight.

The diplomatic pace since Trump’s visit to Riyadh earlier this year has been intense. Washington and Riyadh have become accustomed to visits by senior officials and business leaders. Some of these visits relate to the work needed to fulfill the agreements reached by the crown prince and the president during the latter’s May visit to Riyadh. Others have discussed fresh diplomatic initiatives made possible by the atmosphere created by the May visit or the urgent need to address the crises in Gaza or Sudan.

This tempo reflects mutual recognition that personal relationships remain essential in creating that most precious of diplomatic commodities: trust. Roosevelt famously remarked after his meeting with King Abdulaziz that he learned more about the Middle East in “five minutes (with the king) than I could have learned in an exchange of two or three dozen letters.” No doubt, American and Saudi interlocutors would say the same about the insights each gained from their recent engagements.

Washington and Riyadh will continue to diverge on certain issues, as all friends do. But any points of friction will never outweigh the values, common purpose and strategic incentives that bind the two countries together: ending conflicts, countering regional threats, securing maritime routes, stable energy markets and, more recently, navigating the global transition to new technologies that bring global prosperity.

We should hope that visits such as that of Trump to Riyadh in May and now the crown prince to Washington become routine. Frequent dialogue will only deepen the relationship and accelerate the spread of ideas between our people. And thus, the partnership that was born in 1945 will not only endure and bring the peace and prosperity that both nations so ardently seek, but will also remain an enduring pillar in global stability.

• Norman Roule is a former senior US intelligence officer and Middle East expert.

X: @Norman_Roule