This alignment didn't start with Mr Trump, of course. And on Friday Mr Trump is making his first foreign visit -- to Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the defacto ruler of Saudi Arabia and leader of the Sunni bloc. In an interview broadcast this month on Saudi TV he said: "We will not wait until the battle is in Saudi Arabia. And the notion that it could or would invade Saudi Arabia is simply laughable. Never-the-less, what matters here are not the facts but what Mr Trump and Prince Mohammed may believe to be the facts.

Source: Bangkok Post May 16, 2017 21:56 UTC