Hello, I'm rose. I kinda each week on the BBC world service. I look in depth the one of the biggest issues in the news today, its america's relationship with saudi arabia so help me god. Oh my god, congratulations, MR president, the it's been six weeks since Joe Biden's inauguration six weeks for him to start turning campaign. Promises into policy promises like this one. saudi arabia made during a debate in twenty nineteen percent. It's not punish senior salary leaders. Would you yes, and I would make it very clear we were not going to in fact sell more weapons to them. We were, in fact- make them pay the price and make them in fact the pariah that they are. That was on the campaign trail now Joe Biden as president

and listen to how the tone is changed. This is state department, spokesperson, ned price, announcing the president's new strategy on saudi arabia. We are very focused on future conduct in that as part of why we have cast this not as a rupture but a recalibration This is the story of a superpower and how the saudis a part of its efforts to stay. That way. If the story of two countries, which at first glance, have little in common one is it mocker see ones and authoritarian monarchy ones, majority chris, and one is sunni muslims, one as freedom of speech, the other silences descent and it's the story of why the complex bond between them won't be easily broken

This week, I want to focus on how the new president is facing an early test on this because of a war and a murder right now, people began to look over the folder begin to mind what the tweet begin to feel what they say. and that is not the sole deity ray. I want that's the exiled saudi journalists jamal his algae a year before he was killed. He was a feast critic of the saudi government and the? U s residence He was also one of those looking over his shoulder with good reason. Saudi Arabia now says Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the saudi consulate in istanbul on october. Second, there was a saudi hit team with a bone, and a plan to kill in time the united nations said the saudi state was responsible. U s. Intelligence says the crown prince, approve the murder, something he denies and jamal has oh geez death

placed immediate pressure on relations between america and saudi arabia. This was donald, trump's, initial reaction, there's something really terrible and disgusting about that. If that were the case, we're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment, but there was no severe punishment. nothing to damage a relationship that started this when president drums first overseas trip was to saudi arabia in twenty seventeen he danced on. I'm with the soundings enjoys. dinner and his honour, the histology murder not be allowed to upturn. All of that, and so three weeks after it happened, then you, a second are you state might bumpo was in rio thank you he sat next to the crown prince, shook his hand and said,

I wouldn't have guessed that Joe Biden was watching. All of this. He was promising to be different when dealing with saudi arabia, which brings us to what Joe Biden has done now. He's president, while this week, u s intelligence, again reiterated that the crown prince approved the murder. My colleague, nick Bryan, was covering president Biden's response. While they have an ats while they're calling a cathartic ban, which is targeting foreign nationals who they say, have intimidated or harassed or assaulted, dissidents and journalists, they haven't imposed sanctions on Muhammad Bin, Salman, the crown prince will go unpunished, There's been a furious reaction from some jamal Hassan ii, wrote for the washington post and its publisher. Fred ryan is written that the Biden administration is handed the crown prince. A one free murder, COD Jamal has achieved field, say had t J Genji is put out a statement saying if the crampton

it is not punished, it will forever and dangerous all and be a stain on our humanity and it left some asking why hasn't Biden gone further? Where is the difference from trump to answer these questions? We need to go back to nineteen forty five.

Into the historic. This news report describes. Then? U s. President franklin ruse fell meeting the saudi king, Abdullah Aziz, seventy six years ago, caribbean monarch, those of all the president further to be received amid impressive and colorful ceremony with no doubt among the most important of these me and presumably centred on the vitally important question of oil and so began a relationship based on oil and on security. And while you s oil imports, a declining security remains vital. Just look at the map of the region to the west of the gulf is saudi arabia. With several? U s military bases to the east. Is IRAN and the? U s doesn't trust IRAN at all. Not on its nuclear activity nor its

What for militia in lebanon, iraq, yemen and syria, which? U s, forces attacked last week and after that air strike? Joe Biden delivered this warning to terror. You can act with impunity. Careful america sees a threat in IRAN. see saudi arabia as a counter to it from, His reasons america finds itself in a tangle with saudi arabia. Jamal khashoggi's death is one illustration of that. The war in yemen. Is another

on one side of this war. We have the yemeni government, backed by a saudi, led coalition. On the other hand, the rebels, backed by IRAN and president Biden, has in part made good on his promise on this conflict. He suspended. U s military sales for offensive use to saudi arabia. It's an effort to end the war. That, though, will have consequences this evidence. This is important to the rebels in yemen. This also the loss of arms sales. For u s. Firms. Donald trump talked about this in twenty eighty spending, a hundred and ten billion dollars, purchasing military equipment and other things, if we don't sell it to those they well. Thank you very much.

Whereby from russia or thank you very much- will buy it from china. Now these calculations president's must make will see the impact of Joe Biden move, but while they may be a moral dimension in the end outcomes and america's interests are the dominant consideration, it's a point made by the obama ear ambassador to saudi arabia, Jim smith. Talking about the issue of the crown prince and jamaica sgi, doing sanctions right now and in the us would not have done very much to advance? U s interests other than to give some other satisfaction. Donald trump saw the world as america. First america, first is everyone else. Joe Biden has a more global perspective, but he knows that implies don't last forever and not a superpowers. If you listen to this commentator, frederick camp from the atlantic council

that means taking decisions that are unpalatable and inevitable. The reality is you'd rather have a flood and perhaps even deeply flawed ally of in an adversary in this era of new power and big power, competition or saudi arabia might depend more on china more in russia. For its economic strength. Right now, china is saudi arabia's biggest economic partner. Barack Obama understood this donald trump understood this, and Joe Biden understands these ten. And that's why america won't walk away it didn't when a number of saudis were involved in the nine eleven attacks in two thousand and one it hasn't with the hassan ii murder in very different ways. All three expressed disapproval of saudi actions. All three placed american interests above that disapproval. This is an exchange, knots and alliance and its

The maintenance of american power and for all the Joe Biden positions himself as a break from trump on this marriage of convenience with the saudis continuity is the word. Thank you for listening. There will be more from the document she podcast sin. The documentary is just one of our bbc world. It has put costs. There are many others, too cheese from Hell. I'll. Have you not everything? Can I just saw a man we're the hose mediums versus the news on the BBC world serve as the show that invites international media and to take on the headlines peel them up like an onion. Make you cry with laughter. Poor wily say funny dna into comedians versus the news from the BBC world service. We have promised to never break This are no guarantee well very rarely break in this. I think that people like, I don't think that's true

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