Crown Prince MBS’s power & Saudi Arabia’s contradictions

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

GZERO Media

Politics, News, Foreign Policy, News Commentary, Government, Geopolitics, International Relations, Ian Bremmer, Trump, Global Economy, Gzero World

4.7 • 830 Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2022

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

US President Joe Biden didn't get much out of his recent controversial trip to Saudi Arabia, says Princeton University Bernard Haykel, who frames it as a "big win" for the Saudis and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks with Haykel, an expert on all things Saudi and an MBS confidante. He explains how MBS consolidated power over the kingdom and its strategic value to the US in the Middle East. They also discuss MBS's strategy to modernize his country, the prospects for future warmer ties with Israel, and why the crown prince will avoid situations like the Khashoggi murder in the future. The Saudis "were able to show that they have tremendous convening power" by bringing in all the Gulf leaders, thus demonstrating that Riyadh is the most important player in the region, offering political stability. The Saudi crown prince now looks less like a pariah and more like a partner of the US.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	So the thing that happened that I didn't expect is the lack of preparation by the American team.
0:06.0	I'm very surprised that President Biden and his team went there and came back with so little from the Saudis,
0:13.0	that they hadn't agreed to something in advance, and that this was a total win for the Saudis.
0:23.9	Hello and welcome to the GZero World podcast.
0:27.7	This is where you'll find extended versions of my interviews on public television.
0:28.7	I'm Ian Bremmer. And today, President Joe Biden just finished a whirlwind tour of the Middle East.
0:34.1	With stops in Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Saudi Arabia. It was his first
0:39.0	visit to the region since he took office. With gas prices and inflation hitting record highs
0:45.0	recently, Biden was there in part to ask Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to increase Saudi oil
0:50.3	production, helping bring down prices at the pump. That's a matter of great concern for American voters.
0:56.0	But a fist bump with MBS comes with strings,
0:59.0	even if the trip did further American interests.
1:02.0	And this week, I speak with Princeton professor Bernard Haeckel
1:06.0	about whether Biden's visit was the right move.
1:09.0	He's a renowned expert on Saudi affairs, and he also
1:11.7	has the Crown Prince on speed up. Let's do this.
1:21.1	The G0 World podcast is brought to you by our founding sponsor, First Republic. First Republic,
1:31.3	a private bank and wealth management company, places clients' needs first by providing responsive, relevant, and customized solutions.
1:36.3	Visit FirstRepublic.com to learn more.
1:39.3	In a world upended by disruptive international events, how can we rebuild?
1:45.5	On season two of Global Reboot, a foreign policy podcast in partnership with the Doha Forum,
1:51.4	FP editor-in-chief Ravi Agrawal engages with world leaders and policy experts to look at old problems in new ways
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from GZERO Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of GZERO Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.