Trump had said that about half a million jobs in the US depended on it. However, a Washington Center for International Policy think tank report that only 20,000 to 40,000 jobs are being traded on arms deals with Saudi Arabia.
The volume of arms deals was also exaggerated. The US president alone had put the last agreement at $ 110 billion. The think tank writes that only $ 15 billion worth of deals have been signed with Saudi Arabia.
Trump said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia remains an important partner after the murder of anti-government journalist Khashoggi – despite the CIA’s assumption that the Saudi royal family is directly involved in the murder. The reason given by Trump was the strategic importance of the country in the Middle East and the economic importance of trade relations.
If the US withdraws, Saudi Arabia will seek Russia or China as a trading partner, said Trump. However, the report states that Saudi Arabia is much more dependent on the US than vice versa. An earlier study by the think tank had already examined the great influence of Saudi Arabia on US policy.
