let's bring in ellen wald who's a senior fellow at the atlantic council and is also the author of saudi inc their arabian kingdom's pursuit of profit and power is joining us via skype from jacksonville that's in florida thanks very much for speaking to us on so if we just look at the tweet for a moment perhaps we can put it up on the screen saudi arabia has now agreed to spend the necessary money needed to help rebuild syria this is what the president of the united states is saying ellen wald is it clear to you though if trump is referring to the hundred million dollars that saudi had sent to the u.s. in october for syria or is this a new commitment from the kingdom because we haven't even heard from the kingdom. well i don't think that that's clear at all i think that it could very well be referring to the one hundred million dollars that they have pledged although it does seem to indicate that more money is expected at least from the trumpet ministration for syria and in this matter i you know it's not clear and i don't expect it to become clear for some time but it does appear that t

ellen wald as a senior fellow at the atlantic council and the author of saudi arabian kingdom's pursuit of profit and power she says president trump is defending u.s. a strategic partnership with the kingdom. here's what i think the trumpet ministration thinks about this they see saudi arabia as a strategic partner in the region and trumpet certainly gone out maybe on the fence to defend that strategic partners ship and now he's saying look we are still committed to you now you've got to step up and do what needs to be done and it it's definitely been clear from tom's policy that they would like saudi arabia to really serve as an effective counterpoint in the region to iran and this is his way of saying look if we are going to be strategic partners then you have to play that role of partner and here's a place where you can step up and do that in the region there are plenty of places that money can go in syria to you know serve rebuilding efforts that aren't necessarily connected to iran or russia or the assad regime or turkey if there's not a dearth of there's plenty to be done in syria

ellen wald a senior fellow at the atlantic council and the author of saudi inc the arabian kingdom's pursuit of profit and power she says president trump is the offending us a strategic partnership with the kingdom here's what i think the trumpet ministration thinks about this they see saudi arabia as a strategic partner in the region and trumpet certainly gone out maybe on the fence to defend that strategic partners ship and now he's saying look we are still committed to you now you've got to step up and do what needs to be done and it it's definitely been clear from tom's policy that they would like saudi arabia to really serve as an effective counterpoint in the region to iran and this is his way of saying look if we are going to be strategic partners then you have to play that role of partner and here's a place where you can step up and do that in the region there are plenty of places that money can go in syria to you know serve rebuilding efforts that aren't necessarily connected to iran or russia or the assad regime or turkey if there's not a dearth of there's there's plenty to