Is Saudi defense reform a win-win for Washington and Riyadh?
The US should consider a shift from arms sales to supporting Saudi defense industry reform and expansion.
After a rocky start for bilateral ties when President Biden pledged to "recalibrate" Saudi-US relations, the White House now seems to be returning to the bedrock principle of Saudi-US cooperation. The implicit oil-for-security contract that cemented Saudi-US relations throughout the past decades is still in place.
And that’s why the US-Saudi strategic relationship deserves some new thinking, namely on how it should move forward.
Faced with rising energy prices, US President Joe Biden is pressing global oil producers, particularly Saudi Arabia, to boost supply.
At the same time, security ties between Washington and Riyadh have also proven consistent and resilient, given Iran’s backing of the Houthi militias in Yemen and an uncertain path for negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal.
