Biden should use visit to rebuild Saudi-US ties, says author Karen Elliott House

Journalist and author Karen Elliot House says the Saudi-US relationship must be repaired in the interest of shared security. (AFP/SPA)
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Updated 16 July 2022
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Biden should use visit to rebuild Saudi-US ties, says author Karen Elliott House

  • Biden should take note of the massive social transformation underway in the Kingdom, says Karen Elliott House
  • Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former media executive says the US should not take its Saudi allies for granted

NEW YORK CITY: On US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he should take note of the massive social transformation underway in the Kingdom, according to American journalist and media executive Karen Elliott House.

Author of the 2012 book “On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines — and Future,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, former publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and former president of Dow Jones International, she has enjoyed a long relationship with the Kingdom, tracing its evolution from the early 1970s to the present day.

“It boggles my mind how much has changed for women and young people,” House told Arab News ahead of Biden’s visit, adding that the Kingdom’s transformation over the past decade alone in terms of individual rights is “staggering.”

“The very best thing President Biden can do for himself and the country, frankly, is take a walk down Riyadh Boulevard — anything that exposes him to what’s really going on in the country,” she said, reflecting on the Kingdom’s economic and social reforms.

“All these men and women and children, relaxed, having a nice time, instead of women sitting in one part of the house and men in another, young people being separated and segregated. They’re sitting together in Starbucks, just like here (in the US), working on their computers and talking.”

Although she is broadly pessimistic about the prospect of the US president changing his negative attitude toward the Kingdom, House hopes Biden will at the very least use the opportunity provided by his meetings with Saudi leaders to recalibrate and rebuild the historic relationship between the two nations.

Biden arrived in the Kingdom on Friday for talks with the Saudi leadership and other Arab leaders. Observers expect the issue of oil production to top the agenda, in light of spiraling global energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine and the resultant Western embargo on Russian oil and gas.

Saudi Arabia and other oil producers in the Middle East have been reluctant to boost production at Washington’s behest. Biden’s tour of the region is therefore widely viewed as a charm offensive to help mend strained ties with the Kingdom.

“I personally do not expect much to come of it because I believe it is being done for the wrong reasons,” said House.

“Biden is coming for selfish reasons, acting in his own personal interest, trying to improve his sinking standing by doing something to secure oil that will help reduce the price, when his real agenda is not about easing national pain.

“I’m not saying he enjoys America having actual pain but his biggest primary goal is to help himself, not the country. And so it’s going to be, in my view, mostly a propaganda trip, not a policy trip.”




Karen Elliton House is the author of the 2012 book “On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines — and Future.” (Supplied)

Despite her doubts about the president’s intentions, House believes it is “incredibly important that the US and Saudi Arabia rebuild security cooperation to contain and deter Iran at a time when Tehran reportedly has enough fissile material for a nuclear device, while talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) continue to falter.”

She added: “We should be working hard to rebuild a relationship that is absolutely in our interest, because the Iranians are doing very bad things in the region and I believe have every intention of producing a nuclear weapon. And if something transpires there, it will be a potential disaster (not only) for Saudi Arabia but the whole world.

“We have to be concerned about security in the whole world, yes, but in the Middle East and South China Sea in particular, because if we aren’t prepared to cooperate with countries like Saudi Arabia, the younger Saudi generation (of Crown Prince) Mohammed bin Salman is much more willing to cooperate with Russia and China.

“Their parents, being anti-communists, were much less willing to do so. But it is a different mindset now in Saudi Arabia. We can’t just slap the Saudis around and then expect them to salute when we need them.”

US-Saudi relations were not always this way. After US President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdulaziz, known in the West as Ibn Saud, on Valentine’s Day 1945 on the American cruiser USS Quincy in the Suez Canal, a close bond developed between their countries.

The two leaders are said to have made a strong impression on one another. Ibn Saud famously said he and FDR were “twins” of a sort; they were both about the same age, heads of state with grave responsibilities, farmers at heart, and stricken with poor health.

Despite their differences over the future of Palestine, the friendly atmosphere during that meeting on the Great Bitter Lake laid the foundations for a bilateral relationship that endured for decades despite conflicts and disasters.

Indeed, the personal relationships between successive US presidents and Saudi monarchs have been a key determinant in setting both the tone and substance of ties between the two countries.




US President Roosevelt speaking with King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia in 1945. (Getty Images)

In the decades immediately following the Second World War, the US and Saudi Arabia were closely allied in their opposition to the spread of communism and their support for stable oil prices and the security of oil fields and maritime shipping routes.

The nations stood shoulder to shoulder in defiance of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and during the war to expel the forces of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991.

Nevertheless, the relationship has faced many challenges along the way. It was seriously strained during the 1973 oil embargo, and again in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.

“At those times the American public was very aware of Saudi Arabia, which it isn’t at most times, and angry,” said House. “But on both of those occasions the US government worked very hard, and quietly, to keep the relationship in as good a shape as possible despite public anger. And of course, that is not the case now.”

During his 2020 presidential election campaign, Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah state,” in Washington and internationally, to cut off support for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s war against the Iran-backed Houthis.

He also severed personal links with the Saudi heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed, following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018, inside the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. In Sept. 2020, Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution passed the final sentences on eight people convicted of the murder; five of them were jailed for 20 years, one for 10 years and two for seven years.

“President Biden himself has personally led the cheering squad against Saudi Arabia, when I don’t think the public is as disturbed by Saudi Arabia as the president is,” said House.

“That’s the big difference, to me, in the ups and downs in the past. Those were two big downs (the oil embargo and 9/11). But this big down is much worse and it is not led by something Saudi Arabia allegedly did, but something the president chooses to focus on and accuse mostly the crown prince of, and then tar the whole country.”




The author surrounded by an extended family of Saudis in the Faifa mountains of Jizan, a remote Saudi province bordering Yemen. (Supplied/Karen Elliot House Blog)

She views Biden’s snubbing of the crown prince as an insult to all Saudis.

“If the Saudi king refused to speak to President Biden, I think it would at some level insult many Americans,” she said. “In the reverse, it is even bigger because (Saudi Arabia) identifies with its leadership more than Americans do.

“So I think it has been insulting to the Saudi people that the president won’t speak to the crown prince, who day-to-day runs the country.”

House believes Biden has been keen to rebuke Saudi Arabia as a means of endearing himself to progressive members of Congress.

“I personally think it is all a part of his efforts now to appeal to progressives, the people who are deeply anti-Saudi,” she said.

“He is courting them more than reflecting his own innate or acquired views. It’s like a lot of other stuff he is doing. He’s been vastly more progressive and pro-abortion than he ever was as a senator or as vice president.”

House is well positioned to talk about the changing mindsets in Saudi Arabia, having closely monitored the nation’s evolution during frequent visits to the Kingdom. In particular, she views King Salman’s decision to bring the crown prince to the forefront of the nation’s affairs as an era-defining moment that Biden would be wise to recognize.

Saudi Arabia “was at risk of winding up like the old Soviet Union, with one elderly, infirm leader after another and then just kind of petering out because the old brothers were getting older and older, and how would they bring themselves to make the change without running out the line?” said House.

“And the great news is that King Salman did that. He brought in a young leader. And whatever people think of this young leader, he is very confident, very decisive, he has a vision and, most importantly, the time to execute it. And that’s what previous Saudi leaders, even King Abdullah, didn’t have.”

 

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Saudi minister highlights nation’s leadership in digital innovation and AI during G20 Summit

Updated 5 sec ago
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Saudi minister highlights nation’s leadership in digital innovation and AI during G20 Summit

  • IT minister Abdullah Al-Swaha says the Kingdom aims to drive economic growth and productivity through adoption of AI technologies
  • He also underscores nation’s achievements in its efforts to empower women and youth in the technology sector

RIO DE JANEIRO: Saudi Arabia on Monday reaffirmed its desire to be a global leader in digital innovation and artificial intelligence, and its commitment to leveraging advanced technologies for the benefit of humanity.

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil, the Kingdom’s minister of communications and information technology, Abdullah Al-Swaha, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s efforts to drive economic growth and productivity through the adoption of AI technologies.

He also underscored the nation’s achievements in its efforts to empower women and youth in the technology sector, noting that participation by women increased from 7 percent in 2018 to 35 percent in 2024.

He credited Saudi Vision 2030, the national plan for development and diversification, as a key enabler of this progress, in particular its promotion of digital governance as a cornerstone for digital inclusion and trust.

Al-Swaha pointed out the growing global international recognition of the Kingdom as a leader in digital services; in September it ranked fourth worldwide in the Digital Services Index, which is part of the UN’s E-Government Development Index.

The minister also highlighted the launch of the nation’s AI Readiness Framework, in collaboration with the UN International Telecommunication Union, and the establishment of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics, in partnership with UNESCO.

He reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to the enhancement of international cooperation and the development of policies that promote technological innovation and global welfare.


Saudi Arabia calls for peace, addresses global challenges at opening of G20 Summit

Updated 10 min 16 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia calls for peace, addresses global challenges at opening of G20 Summit

  • Prince Faisal bin Farhan leads Kingdom’s delegation on behalf of crown prince 

RIO DE JANEIRO: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan led the Kingdom’s delegation at the first session of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which opened on Monday.

Prince Faisal, who is leading the delegation on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, spoke at the summit’s opening session which was called “Social Inclusion and Combating Hunger and Poverty.”

Prince Faisal highlighted pressing global challenges, noting that increasing tensions, military conflicts, and humanitarian crises were significant obstacles to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, adding: “Development and prosperity cannot be achieved on the ruins of death and destruction.”

Moving on to the ongoing crises in the Middle East, Prince Faisal pointed to Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, describing them as sources of severe human suffering and catalysts which were pushing the region toward broader conflict.

He said: “The ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon has caused unprecedented levels of human suffering; is pushing the region to the brink of a wider war … and is undermining the credibility of international law and institutions.”

Prince Faisal reiterated Saudi Arabia’s commitment to peace, stating the Kingdom’s unwavering stance on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; unrestricted access to humanitarian assistance; the release of hostages; and a serious commitment to lasting peace based on the two-state solution according to the 1967 borders, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The minister also addressed the situation in Sudan, expressing concern over the severe human toll due to the conflict, and obstacles preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected communities.

In addition to political challenges, Prince Faisal commended Brazil’s initiative in launching the International Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which aligns with Saudi Arabia’s development and humanitarian objectives. He announced the Kingdom’s participation in the alliance, which resonates with its long-standing global efforts.

He said: “The Kingdom is pleased to be part of this alliance that is in line with its development goals and its global role in this regard, which is expressed by the programs of the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (and) the Saudi Fund for Development, in addition to its global contributions to the programs of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to support developing countries.”

The Kingdom’s delegation included Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Deputy Minister of Finance (Saudi Sherpa for the G20) Abdul Mohsen bin Saad Al-Khalaf, and Ambassador to Brazil Faisal bin Ibrahim Ghulam.

The G20 Summit in Brazil serves as a platform for the world’s leading economies to address global challenges and promote collective solutions aimed at fostering sustainable development and social equity.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prince Faisal met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During their meeting they discussed US-Saudi relations, as well as regional developments and the efforts made in this regard.


Saudi defense minister meets governor of US State of Indiana

Updated 18 November 2024
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Saudi defense minister meets governor of US State of Indiana

  • The two discussed bilateral ties and other issues of common interest

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman met with Governor of the US state of Indiana Eric Holcomb in Riyadh on Monday.

During the meeting, the two discussed bilateral ties and other issues of common interest, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Abdulrahman bin Ayyaf and Chief of Staff Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili were among the Saudi officials present.

Commander-in-Chief of the Indiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Roger Lyles and head of the US Military Training Mission in the Kingdom Col. Dirk Smith were among the US officials present.

 


Misk City, Samsung Saudi Arabia to collaborate in smart city technology

Updated 18 November 2024
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Misk City, Samsung Saudi Arabia to collaborate in smart city technology

  • Partnership forms part of vision to create ‘integrated system that supports innovation and creativity among Saudi youth’

RIYADH: Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City, which is also known as Misk City, on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with the tech giant Samsung Electronics to cooperate in the sectors of smart city technology, sustainability, and youth empowerment.

Misk City’s CEO David Henry signed the memorandum with the President of Samsung Electronics Saudi Arabia Hendrick Lee, on the sidelines of the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh, which finishes on Tuesday.

Henry said that the partnership with Samsung “represents an important step in line with Misk City’s strategic vision of creating an integrated system that supports innovation and creativity among Saudi youth,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He stressed the importance of working with Samsung “to create a vibrant and innovative environment that presents a unique model for smart cities.” 

Lee said that Samsung’s “cooperation with Misk City represents our unified commitment to leading innovation and sustainability with the aim of developing transformative solutions that enhance urban life and empower future generations in the field of technology, which benefits our communities.” 

The two parties will also collaborate on developing training programs specifically designed to hone the skills of Saudi’s youth to help enhance smart city experiences. These programs will later be hosted and delivered in Misk City, the SPA added.

Samsung Electronics is also considering setting up a showroom in Misk City to showcase its latest artificial intelligence-powered smart technologies, providing visitors with a firsthand experience of smart homes and understanding of future innovations.


Steve Wozniak urges Saudi youth to dream, innovate, and conquer the future of AI

Updated 18 November 2024
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Steve Wozniak urges Saudi youth to dream, innovate, and conquer the future of AI

  • Wozniak shared his insights on artificial intelligence, creativity, and the importance of ethics in technology
  • Steve Wozniak: The greatest things happen when you take risks

RIYADH: Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple and a pioneer of the modern computing era, delivered an inspiring talk titled “Me, Myself, and AI” at the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh.

Speaking to a packed audience of young Saudis and global tech enthusiasts, Wozniak shared his insights on artificial intelligence, creativity, and the importance of ethics in technology, emphasizing the unique potential of Saudi youth to lead the next wave of innovation. 

The session, part of a larger series focused on innovation, opened with Wozniak reflecting on his journey in shaping the personal computing revolution. He encouraged the audience to embrace risks and challenges as integral to success.

“The greatest things happen when you take risks,” he said. “Even if they fail, we always hear that you learn from your failures. But I think step after step after step, the total number of hours that you have put into doing things, even the risks that don’t come through, they lead up to your own abilities.”

This emphasis on resilience and perseverance resonates with Saudi Arabia’s aspiration to become a global leader in technology and entrepreneurship under Vision 2030.

Addressing the rise of AI and its transformative power, Wozniak highlighted the need for ethical considerations in its development. He explained that while AI can serve as a valuable tool, human oversight remains crucial.

“AI should be like a reporter bringing the information and a human being should be the editor (who) looks at it and decides which of it is important,” he said.

Wozniak also warned about the dangers of misinformation and manipulation in the digital age, calling for greater transparency in AI systems.

He advocated for clear guidelines to ensure that AI-generated content is accurate and trustworthy. “When AI generates information, users should be able to click and see where it came from. Attribution and accuracy are critical for building trust,” he explained.

This call for transparency aligns with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to integrate cutting-edge technologies while ensuring they serve the public good.

Wozniak urged the young audience to approach AI not just as a tool for progress but as a responsibility to humanity, emphasizing the need to create systems that reflect ethical values. 

Throughout the session, Wozniak’s advice to Saudi youth centered on embracing creativity and taking ownership of their ideas. He encouraged them to focus on meaningful projects and hands-on learning, which he believes are essential for fostering innovation. “Whether it’s robotics, AI, or another area of technology, young people should focus on building something meaningful,” he said.

Drawing from his experience as a fifth-grade teacher, Wozniak shared how empowering students through project-based learning can unlock their potential. “When students take ownership of a project, they learn skills that go beyond the classroom. They develop critical thinking and creativity, which are key to driving innovation,” he said.

Wozniak also emphasized the importance of creating an environment where students can experiment and explore without fear of failure. 

He ended his session on a personal note, sharing his philosophy on life and success. For him, happiness and positivity take precedence over material accomplishments. “My formula for life is not about accomplishment. It’s about happiness,” he said. “Focus on the positive, that’s the optimistic side. Don’t argue with people … always look for constructive solutions.” 

As the session ended, he urged young innovators to collaborate across disciplines and respect diverse perspectives. He emphasized the importance of teamwork in creating impactful solutions. “Engineering, marketing, and business must work together to create meaningful solutions. No single discipline can succeed alone,” he added.

As Saudi Arabia continues its journey toward becoming a global innovation leader, Wozniak’s message to its youth is clear: take risks, stay ethical, and build with purpose.