The Special U.S.-Saudi Relationship Has Outlived Its Usefulness
Topics: U.S., World
Public Release Date: February 08, 2017
Over 70 years ago, in 1945, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia met onboard the USS Quincy. A close relationship between the two countries has been maintained ever since, with oil and military and intelligence cooperation at its foundation. But the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. shale revolution, human rights concerns, and diverging interests in the Middle East, have all put strains on this relationship. Has this special relationship outlived its usefulness, or is it too important to walk away from?
ARGUING YES:
Madawi Al-Rasheed: Visiting Professor for the London School of Economics
Mark P. Lagon: Centennial Fellow & Distinguished Senior Scholar at Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service
ARGUING NO:
F. Gregory Gause: John H. Lindsey Chair & Head of the International Affairs Department, Texas A&M
James Jeffrey: Former Ambassador to Turkey & Iraq, and Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow
MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist