>>>Saudi Arabia is the big buffer against Iran. And we’re clearly not going to get into nation building in Saudi Arabia, so this is just a strategic alliance.
But would we be there if Saudi wasn’t paying for it? Is putting 2,800 more troops in the line of fire truly in the national interest or is it just good business?
I don’t think our troops will be in the line of fire. Nobody is going to take on Saudi Arabia directly, and this is just a gesture.
Yes, it’s good business - and in the national interest.
As Harry Truman said of a dictator (I don’t remember which one), “Yes, he’s a bast*rd, but he’s our bast*rd.” So while you can’t trust the Saudis as far as you can throw them, right now the current occupant of the throne there appears to be thinking it’s better to be on our side against Iran.
This could change instantly, of course, but I’m sure Trump knows that.