NYTIMES: To Trump, human rights concerns are often a barrier to trade

US daily New York Times says US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia underscored the calculation he and his foreign policy advisers have made when it comes to questions of human rights around the world.

“Mr. Trump and his team made clear they are willing to publicly overlook repression in places like Saudi Arabia and other (Persian) Gulf states whose leaders are meeting here this weekend — as long as they are allies in areas the president considers more important, namely security and economics.”

“To the president and his advisers, human rights concerns can be an impediment to the flow of commerce between countries and a barrier to beneficial partnerships for the United States. In their view, trade equals jobs and prosperity, and concern about human rights too often backfires, getting in the way of efforts by the United States government to increase all three.”

“In Saudi Arabia, Mr. Trump sees an economic partner and the anchor of a Sunni Arab alliance to counter Iranian influence in the region. He announced $110 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia on Saturday as well as billions of dollars’ worth of business deals.”