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Why Does President Trump Stick by Saudi Arabia?

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia this week. Why does President Trump stick by the controversial Kingdom?

Donald Trump鈥檚 first foreign trip as US president was to Saudi Arabia - and this week his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Kingdom. Despite increased strains on the relationship, including the controversial war in Yemen and the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Trump Administration has shown no signs of breaking with Riyadh. Is this fully explained by the trade in oil and arms 鈥� or are other factors at work? How important is a shared antipathy to Iran? Are human rights always expendable when trade and strategic interests are in the mix? And why and how did the two countries become so entwined?

This week Celia Hatton asks a panel of experts what is keeping the United States and Saudi Arabia close.

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53 minutes

Last on

Sat 19 Jan 2019 04:06GMT
大象传媒 World Service

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Photo

President Trump shakes hands with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office. Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images.

Contributors

Panellists:

Safa al Ahmad听- Saudi journalist and documentary film maker

Reem Daffa听- Executive Director, SAPRAC
听
Simon Henderson听-听Director at the Washington Institute

Gregory Gause听- Professor, Texas A&M University


Also featuring:

Caroline Bain听- Chief Commodities Economist at Capital Economics

Shahad Al Mohaimeed听- Saudi refugee

Broadcasts

  • Fri 18 Jan 2019 09:06GMT
    大象传媒 World Service
  • Sat 19 Jan 2019 00:06GMT
    大象传媒 World Service
  • Sat 19 Jan 2019 04:06GMT
    大象传媒 World Service

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