Let's return now to President Trump's trip to the Middle East.

He announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria, along with hundreds of billions of dollars

in new arms sales and U.S.-S.-Saudy business agreements.

For additional perspective on all this, we get two views.

Valley Nasser is a professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University and was

an advisor in the State Department

during the Obama administration. His latest book is Iran's grand strategy of political history.

And Bernard Hakele is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and senior

fellow at the Hudson Institute. Gentlemen, welcome to you both. And Bernie Hakel, I'll start with you here.

The White House is hailing these economic and defense deals that they announced during President

Trump's trip, including that $600 billion in what they say are Saudi investments.

What stands out to you in terms of what the U.S. says they were able to secure from Saudi Arabia

during this trip?

Well, thank you. They certainly were able to secure major arms deals and also a major agreement on artificial intelligence. But I think the American administration's principal goal

and Saudi Arabia's principle goal has been to, and Saudi Arabia's principle goal, has been to

forge a strategic alliance because the Americans don't want the Saudis to veer towards China,

especially when it comes to technology and AI. And I think that relationship, that strategic

relationship has been very strongly solidified with this visit of President Trump.

Valanassar, what about this major development, Nick reported on earlier President Trump's announcement that he will lift sanctions on Syria.

He will meet with Syria's leader tomorrow.

This is something the Saudis have been pushing for. Does this say to you

that Saudi Arabia is influencing Trump's policy in the Middle East? And could that mean other

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