Saudi Arabia: Friend or Foe?
To the Point
KCRW
4.4 • 583 Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2015
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Saudi Arabia says it can live with the Iran nuclear deal after all — especially since President Obama has promised new military assistance. As the US bolsters the traditional alliance, critics are raising questions about the Kingdom's human rights record, the bombing of Yemen and the money that helps spread a radical form of Islam.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, I'm Josh Barrow, your new host of Left, Right, and Center. |
| 0:03.0 | Every week, join Rich Lowry, Bob Shear and Me for a contentious yet civilized debate of the week's big political stories, from ISIS to the U.S. economy to this 47 candidate presidential election we're having. |
| 0:13.4 | You can find Left, right, and Center on KCRW's iTunes page. |
| 0:18.0 | From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point. |
| 0:26.1 | Saudi Arabia, friend or frenemy? |
| 0:32.5 | Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International. A daily |
| 0:36.7 | look at the issues Americans care about most. |
| 0:38.9 | Likely passage of the nuclear deal with Iran has created tension between the U.S. and its traditional Middle East ally, Saudi Arabia. |
| 0:45.4 | Last week at the White House, President Obama assuaged King Salman with a massive new round of military assistance. |
| 0:51.7 | But Saudi money fuels the radical form of Islam espoused by ISIS, |
| 0:55.8 | al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups. Fifteen of the 19 September 11th hijackers were Saudis. |
| 1:01.8 | The Saudi record on human rights and the brutal bombing of Yemen also have some critics |
| 1:05.7 | calling for caution. Today's talking point, Germany, is opening doors being closed by other nations of Europe. |
| 1:13.3 | First, here's the news. |
| 1:19.6 | Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel. Stream BBC World Service, NPR and KCRW programs. |
| 1:28.0 | Continuous coverage and accessible via our smartphone app or online at KCRW.com. |
| 1:38.2 | Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund. |
| 1:45.0 | Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To the Point. Saudi Arabia says it can live with the Iran nuclear deal after all, especially since President Obama has promised new military assistance. |
| 1:54.4 | As the U.S. bolsters the traditional alliance, though, critics are raising questions about the kingdom's human rights record, the bombing of Yemen, |
| 2:01.4 | and the money that helps spread a radical form of Islam. Today's talking point, Germany, |
| 2:06.9 | was often accused of being stingy toward Greece during its financial crisis. Now Angela Merkel |
| 2:11.7 | says her country will take in a half million refugees every year from outside Europe for the next five years. First, this news |
... |
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