US President Joe Biden’s Saudi trip is expected to usher in a new phase of cooperation and partnership between the two countries after a year and a half of tensions between the current US administration and the Saudi leadership.
While the kingdom has been a longtime US ally, the former’s human rights record, including its military engagement in Yemen, has damaged its image before many world leaders. Biden had pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.