QUIET RECONCILIATION: US-SAUDI RELATIONS OUT OF THE ROUGH?
Are the US and Saudi Arabia quietly drawing closer? It’s been nearly a year since that frosty fist bump between Joe Biden and crown prince Mohamed Ben Salman. Fast forward to the present, secretary of state Antony Blinken all smiles for three days of talks. As Blinken was touching down in Jeddah, the Saudis were making their shock entry into the U-S sports market. Sportswashing or a significant strengthening of the historic ties that bind allies in areas like defense and energy?