Al-Monitor | Bruce Riedel: The House of Saud played Donald Trump like a fiddle on his historic visit to the kingdom, showering him in ceremony and accolades that�pandered to his scandal-wracked administration's need for diversion from its own self-imposed mistakes.�For the Saudis, it was also a diversion from their own blunders, especially the expensive and endless quagmire they created in Yemen.

As an absolute monarchy, the kingdom is proficient at the business of pomp and ceremony.�The ornate palaces, not open to the public, provide perfect backdrops.�After being severely unhappy with the last two American presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, they wanted to demonstrate their high hopes for the Trump team.�The royals know that flattery will bring rewards, especially when the target is desperately seeking to be seen as competent.�They expect a more aggressive approach to combating their archenemy Iran, which has outmaneuvered from them from Beirut to Basra for years.

The presidential visit also gave King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous convening power of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the Sunni Muslim world.�With control of access to Mecca and Medina for pilgrims, the king literally controls access to a holy obligation of every Muslim. With decades of financial largesse, the kingdom has built�a network of mosques and other institutions across the Sunni Muslim world that are dependent upon Saudi favors.�The Saudis could invite their fellow monarchs from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council for a summit with the president and dozens of other Muslim leaders for another summit, confident that most would come when called.

Read more here