Arab News debate: Can Saudi-US relations be fixed?

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Updated 16 June 2023
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Arab News debate: Can Saudi-US relations be fixed?

  • Columnist Rob Sobhani says he would invite Saudi crown prince to White House if he was president as US needs allies more than ever
  • Democratic think-tanker Brian Katulis says there needs to be a “Vision 2030” for US-Saudi relations, says Kingdom is witnessing remarkable transformation
  • Saudi analyst Salman Al-Ansari reiterates Saudi position of building relationships worldwide that do not hurt its allies

CHICAGO: Discussing the future of Saudi-US relations during a special episode of the Ray Hanania Radio Show, a weekly program in the US sponsored by Arab News, Rob Sobhani doubled down on a recent oped in the Washington Times in which he called for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be invited to the White House.

“If I were the president of the US, I would call up Mohammed bin Salman, invite him to the White House, say, my friend, my partner — not a fist bump but a shaking of the hand — and say, my friend, my dear friend, let’s solve some of these global problems together,” Sobhani, an author and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, told Wednesday’s program.

Sobhani made his recommendation for Saudi-US engagement in the oped, published on June 7, to drive home the point that maintaining and enhancing the bilateral relationship was vitally important in an increasingly multipolar world in which the US arguably needs friends and allies more than ever.

“I wrote the piece because I think it’s important to understand what makes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tick,” said Sobhani. “And it’s important because, in a turbulent world, where we’re moving to a new paradigm of a multipolar world. 

“But it needs allies that are independent thinkers, allies that love their own country, but also understand the value that a US relationship brings. And I really, really firmly believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman can be a very, very strong partner of the US, especially on global challenges, which the crown prince himself is now championing, such as climate, such as supply-chain issues, such as global pandemic.




Rob Sobhani: Writer, author and adjunct professor at Georgetown University specializing in US Policy in the Middle East and CEO, chairman, and founder of Caspian Group holdings, LLC.

“So I do believe that President Biden and his foreign-policy team need to really rethink the way in which they look at Saudi Arabia in general and, in particular, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

Sobhani’s oped has sparked fresh debate in US foreign-policy circles about Washington’s handling of the bilateral relationship. Indeed, perceptions of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in general have been particularly divided in recent years.

Asked whether it took a lot of convincing or pushback to publish his op-ed in the Washington Times, Sobhani said the publication could be fair and also critical when it needed to be. He compared it favorably to many of the liberal mainstream media, which, he said, had got it wrong on the Middle East in the past.

“The Washington Times has been a very fair and balanced paper as it concerns Saudi Arabia,” Sobhani told the program. “When the time comes, they’ll be critical. They’ll post critical op-eds. But, overall, they have been extremely, extremely balanced in their writings and in their narratives about Saudi Arabia.


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“I personally preferred to put this piece in the Washington Times because history suggests that 45, 46, 47 years ago, when the liberal media in this country used the term ‘saint’ for (Iran’s) Ayatollah Khomeini, and now we see the results, it is indeed important that good media balance, media like the Times, be applauded.”

Weighing in on the topic, Democratic commentator Brian Katulis, a senior fellow and vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute and editor at large of the Liberal Patriot, agreed that the US needs to revise its position on Saudi Arabia.

Having previously argued for a deepening of Saudi-US ties, Katulis told the Ray Hanania Radio Show that American officials need to understand that the dynamics have changed since 1991 when it was the pre-eminent power in a unipolar world.

Instead, he called for a “Vision 2030” for US-Saudi relations, riffing on the Kingdom’s social reform and economic diversification strategy, designed to move away from hydrocarbon dependency and to open up to new industries, investments and ideas.

“America has changed and it’s quite different from what we heard from Obama or Bush or Clinton,” Katulis told the program. “I would take what is the self-professed Saudi vision for its own social and economic transformation. It’s been out there for a while, and I would combine the two.

“I’ve talked to very senior US and Saudi officials about the need to do this right and they know it ... So, you have to have a long-term discussion between the two sides, a strategic dialogue, and it’s got to be a conversation. It’s got to be no holds barred. But we’re equal partners and let’s talk about it. And then you would chart it out in each of the different sectors.”




Brian Katulis: a senior fellow and vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute and editor-at-large of The Liberal Patriot.

Asked whether Saudi authorities tend to get on better with Democrats or Republicans, Katulis said there are actually a lot of similarities between both parties on national security topics involving the Middle East.

“If you look at both the Biden administration’s national security strategy document and the Trump administration’s national security strategy document, there’s a lot of similarities actually between the two,” he said.

“And I think if countries like Saudi Arabia did a better job in articulating how they actually will help America advance its interests and even, to some extent, on certain issues like social issues, the values, they’re going to be much more persuasive with politicians on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill.

“And ultimately ... 2023 is also not like 2005 or 2013 in that a lot of these national-security questions, and especially Middle East policy questions, quite frankly, are not on the radar screen of American politics the way they used to be. That’s an advantage, but it’s also a disadvantage.”

For his part, Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi businessman, writer and political commentator, said there is a lot of miscommunication about the realities of Saudi Arabia and that US officials are not getting the full picture — particularly on the Kingdom’s stance on Syria’s readmission into the Arab League.

“I think the case has not been understood widely in the global narrative,” he told the Ray Hanania Radio Show. “What happened has been explained by the foreign affairs minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

“He said it’s going to be a step for a step. Which means what? Yes, we admitted Syria back into the fold, to the Arab world. But that doesn’t mean that they will be having some kind of economic benefit out of it.

“But the stalemate was not helpful. That’s the view of Saudi Arabia. So, if we go back to the Congress bill, with regard to Syria, and the Caesar Bill, which is about the sanctions, it mentioned three major points: To lift the sanctions on Syria. There needs to be a political reform based on (UN Security Council Resolution) 2254. Saudi Arabia wants that.

“Second, to have the sanctions to be lifted, you need to send out or kick out the militias. The Iranian and the foreign militias out of Syria. And Saudi Arabia wants that. The third is to have an amnesty and also to have the opposition and the refugees to be back to Syria. And Saudi Arabia wants that.

“So, I don’t think the Saudis and the US are not on the same page. They are actually on the exact same page. They have the same objective. But Saudi Arabia wants to achieve that objective through admitting or readmitting Syria to the Arab fold.”




Salman Al-Ansari: A Saudi businessman, writer and political commentator, who specializes in strategic and political communications.

As for Saudi Arabia’s warming relations with China, Al-Ansari said the US should not be concerned.

“China is the biggest trading partner of Saudi Arabia and 130 other nations as well, including the US itself. So, it’s a reality and the Kingdom is re-evaluating its strategic worldview accordingly,” he said.

“And we should not deny the fact that unipolarity is somehow over. And I believe it to be a good thing because multipolarity means more voices, more perspectives and more progress, and the world needs balance and multipolarity brings equilibrium.

“And the US — I don’t want to be mistaken — the US will always remain Saudi Arabia’s biggest strategic and security partner.”

Al-Ansari thinks part of the problem with Saudi-US relations is the Kingdom’s inability to communicate its message clearly to an American audience. In fact, as he pointed out, Saudi Arabia is the only G20 country without an English language news channel.

“A TV channel is very important. We should have a lot of English-based networks when it comes to the media to tell our stories,” he said.

“And I’m actually optimistic about the current minister of media in Saudi Arabia, who has been in the field of media for so long and he’s a writer and thinker who can actually advance the Saudi approach to the whole world.

“So maybe that issue of us not being understood is a two way stream. From the other side, we have seen how there is this actually Saudi phobia, unfortunately, and how whatever we do, we are always damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

“That’s one, to blame the US and the Western media for. And the other blame is on us not being vocal and not having institutions that can actually tell our exact stories.”

As a result, Al-Ansari believes there have been several missed opportunities to promote some of the Kingdom’s achievements.

“You don’t hear (about these achievements) in the Western media, or the biased ones, for sure. And that’s one of the reasons that we are not having this kind of good coverage,” he said.

“I remember the Saudi ambassador to the EU, Haifa Al-Judea, pointing out that Saudi Arabia has removed all barriers for women to enter the labor market and said Saudi Arabia introduced laws for equal pay in 2019, which even many of the EU states and the US don’t have.

“So, these things are amazing. These things had not been anticipated just six, seven, eight years ago. And right now we are having this kind of, I would call it a Saudi renaissance that needs to be seen with admiration rather than just being critical for no reason.”

So, what would it take for the Saudi-US relationship to be fixed? Apart from inviting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, Sobhani said the US and Saudi Arabia should identify a handful of areas where they can cooperate and make a difference.

“I guarantee you that if the US and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got together in a room and decided, you know what, we’re going to capture two-thirds of all the carbon that’s out there by planting a trillion trees, the world would be behind it,” said Sobhani, highlighting the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives, launched by the crown prince in 2021.

“If we go to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and argue, let’s build the world’s best cancer cluster so that we can solve the problem of cancer, he will step up to the plate.

“Because guess what? Cancer doesn’t understand Saudi or American. Cancer does not understand Republican or Democrat. Cancer does not understand Salafi or Wahhabi. Cancer kills.

“And if we partner with Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman, that’s positive for the world.”

Sobhani drew parallels between the Saudi crown prince and other famous reformist figures from Middle Eastern history.

“Ataturk in Turkiye trying to take a country and move it forward. Reza Shah in Iran, trying to take a country and move it forward. A former leader of Singapore turning an island nation into one of the most prosperous (states),” he said, referring to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Mohammad Reza Shah and Lee Kuan Yew.

“Yes, along the road there may have been bumps for Mohammed bin Salman, but there is no doubt that he is on the right trajectory to be a leader for his country.”

For Katulis, despite concerns about political divisions in the US, the country remains a resilient force and the best possible ally for Saudi Arabia.

“They (the Saudis) know deep down inside there’s no better country to partner with, not only for their security, but also in the long term economically,” he said.

“I actually think America has an amazing resilience and an ability to correct itself in terms of its own system. And it’s because we have a free media, we have freedom, we have a lot of independence.

“It’s chaotic from time to time. And yes, there are divisions, but I think there is a genuine desire to partner with the US and think about the future.”

Furthermore, Katulis believes now is the right time for the US to fully engage strategically with the Middle East as a whole.

“America, rather than restrain itself or pull back from the region, actually needs to double down on its engagement in the region,” he said.

“By that, I mean not just military maneuvers and helping others protect themselves from threats, but also seizing opportunities, economic opportunities, social change opportunities. And it would be better for the US to do this.”

 

 


Saudi leaders congratulate Karol Nawrocki on winning Poland’s presidential elections

Updated 03 June 2025
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Saudi leaders congratulate Karol Nawrocki on winning Poland’s presidential elections

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman each sent a cable of congratulations to Karol Nawrocki after winning Poland’s presidential elections on Monday.

The King and Crown Prince wished the president success in his duties and the Polish people further progress and prosperity, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Nawrocki won 50.89% of votes in a very tight race against Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%.


Drones delivering Hajj medicine years in the making, health minister tells Arab News

Updated 03 June 2025
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Drones delivering Hajj medicine years in the making, health minister tells Arab News

  • Delivery cut from 90 to 6 minutes, says Fahad Al-Jalajel
  • Drones will operate in Mina, Muzdalifah, Mount Arafat

RIYADH: A new service transporting medicine with drones during Hajj is a result of two years of intensive studies and experiments, Saudi Arabia’s Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel told Arab News on Monday.

“This modern technology aims to deliver medicines on a large scale during the Hajj season while reducing the time required to deliver medical supplies to just six minutes, compared to 90 minutes using ground transportation,” Al-Jalajel said.

The service will bypass congestion at the holy sites, where nearly 1.25 million pilgrims will gather during the Hajj, a key pillar of Islam, which runs from June 4 to 9.

Al-Jalajel said trials over the past two years tested for safe takeoff and landing, as well as high temperatures. The drones are equipped with cooling systems, he said.

The drone initiative is a part of the comprehensive healthcare transformation taking place in the Kingdom, under the Saudi Vision 2030 program.

“One of the most notable achievements of this transformation is the establishment of the Seha Virtual Hospital, the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records,” said Al-Jalajel.

The virtual hospital, which is linked to the Kingdom’s Sehaty health app, serves more than 200 hospitals, and is accessible to all individuals in Saudi Arabia.

“The Kingdom is applying advanced technologies in the fields of robotic surgery, stroke management, and the use of artificial intelligence in health services, reflecting the serious trend towards digitizing the health sector,” Al-Jalajel said.

These experiences, the minister said, have become a source of inspiration and learning for many countries around the world.

The Health Ministry would continue to anticipate global challenges and provide pioneering and appropriate solutions, Al-Jalajel said.


4,900 train journeys and 2m passengers expected on holy sites metro over 7 days of Hajj

Updated 02 June 2025
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4,900 train journeys and 2m passengers expected on holy sites metro over 7 days of Hajj

  • 3,314 flights from 238 destinations in 71 countries have arrived in the Kingdom so far ahead of the annual pilgrimage, transport officials
  • Vehicles equipped with AI scan 7,400km of Kingdom’s roads to help improve safety and ensure necessary maintenance is carried out

RIYADH: Trains on the Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro Line are expected to complete a total of 4,900 journeys, carrying up to 2 million passengers, in the space of just seven days during Hajj.

The metro, known in English as the Sacred Sites Train Line, is a high-capacity rail system in Makkah that operates for only seven days a year, during Hajj, as a shuttle service to take pilgrims to and from holy sites.

Offering insights on Monday into the transportation systems that will serve pilgrims, Saleh Al-Zuwaid, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services, said comprehensive preparations have been taking place ahead of the annual pilgrimage across all travel sectors, including air, land, sea and logistics.

The spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to providing the best possible services and encouraged pilgrims to adhere to official guidelines designed to enhance their experiences and ensure their safety. (Supplied)

“So far, 3,314 flights from 238 destinations in 71 countries, via 62 air carriers, have arrived in the Kingdom,” he said.

There has been a 75 percent increase in the number of trips on Haramain High Speed Railway, compared with last year, he added, and a “Hajj without Luggage” initiative allows pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia to travel to Makkah by train while their luggage is transported separately for convenience.

In addition, more than 25,000 buses have been provided to ensure the safe and comfortable movement of pilgrims, backed by an extensive inspections process, he said.

The latest technology, including artificial intelligence, is also being deployed to enhance transportation, Al-Zuwaid said. A fleet of vehicles equipped with AI is scanning the Kingdom’s roads, from arrival ports to the holy sites, to help improve safety and ensure necessary maintenance is carried out. This year, these advanced technologies have helped to maintain 7,400 kilometers of roads leading to the holy sites.

Detailing advances in digital infrastructure, Saad Al-Shanbari, a spokesperson for Hajj communications and technology, said that 4G and 5G coverage in Makkah, Madinah and at the holy sites now exceeds 99 percent, with significant increases in internet speeds.

More than 10,500 Wi-Fi access points have been installed to enrich the digital experience for pilgrims, he added, and AI-powered crowd-management and specialized communication systems have been implemented in collaboration with Aramco Digital, to help ensure a reliable digital experience throughout Hajj season.

The spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to providing the best possible services and encouraged pilgrims to adhere to official guidelines designed to enhance their experiences and ensure their safety.

Hajj begins on Wednesday, June 4, and will continue until Monday, June 9.

 


Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with US counterpart

Updated 02 June 2025
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Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with US counterpart

  • Phone call on Monday with Marco Rubio

RIYADH: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Kingdom’s foreign minister, discussed the latest regional developments in a phone call on Monday with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The minister focused on Saudi-American ties, the strategic partnership, and international issues, the Saudi Press Agency reported.


Drama therapy workshop in Jeddah explores healing power of expression

Psychologist Lujain Faqerah and actor Abdul Al-Shareef, center, with attendees at the drama therapy workshop in Jeddah.
Updated 02 June 2025
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Drama therapy workshop in Jeddah explores healing power of expression

  • Faqerah told Arab News: “Drama is integrated naturally in our daily responses and situations

JEDDAH: A drama therapy workshop was recently organized under the theme: “In drama we find the power to express, and in expression we find the power to heal,” at Cinema Al-Balad in Jeddah.

Led by Lujain Faqerah, senior psychologist and creative arts supervisor, in collaboration with actor and screenwriter Abdul Al-Shareef, the workshop explored the use of drama therapy in daily life and creative work.

Participants, including therapists, creatives, and others, learned how drama can support emotional awareness, healing, and connection.

The workshop showed how drama-based therapeutic techniques can help people access unconscious behaviors, foster self-expression, and improve creative practices such as screenwriting and acting.

Faqerah told Arab News: “Drama is integrated naturally in our daily responses and situations. In a therapeutic setting, it helps us observe these interactions and reflect on a deeper level of our unconscious body gestures and movements that might reveal a lot about our personalities.”

She made it clear that drama therapy is not about performing but about expressing what lies beneath — emotions, memories, or internal conflicts.

Faqerah said: “The word drama has a negative connotation to the extent that people reject it before trying. Drama therapy does not depend on acting skills or previous experience, but more on your self-expression and the challenges you experience.”

Her discovery of drama therapy was transformative. “It surprised me with the appearance of a hidden part of me that is more bold and confident. When this part emerged and I saw the benefits myself, I started incorporating it in my profession.”

Al-Shareef brought a creative perspective as an actor and screenwriter new to drama therapy but interested in its techniques.

“As an actor and a writer, I found this experiment with drama supervision and therapy fascinating. It’s a tool that I am willing to explore and learn more about to enhance my life and practice,” he said.

“Some people may think drama therapy is exclusively for artists, but it’s not. The techniques can be integrated into everyday routines, varying from person to person depending on their challenges.”