Pariah or Partner: The Shifting US-Saudi Arabia Relationship
Will Biden shift Saudi Arabia from a “pariah” to a partner – should he? Experts Martin Indyk and Sarah Leah Whitson join Deep Dish to discuss.

REUTERS
About the Episode
Joe Biden is currently on his first trip to the Middle East as President, which will include a controversial meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On the campaign trail, Biden pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”, but with gas prices punishing American consumers, and Russia and China court Riyadh, Biden’s tone and policy toward the Kingdom has rapidly evolved. Council on Foreign Relations’ Martin Indyk and Democracy for the Arab World Now’s Sarah Leah Whitson join Deep Dish to discuss the human rights, energy, and geopolitical dimensions of the US–Saudi relationship.
Like the show? Leave us a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.
Reading List
- The Case for a New U.S.-Saudi Strategic Compact, Steven A. Cook and Martin S. Indyk, Council on Foreign Relations, June 2022
- America’s Middle East ‘Withdrawal’ Breathes Its Last Breath, Sarah Leah Whitson, The American Prospect, June 24, 2022
About the Experts
Distinguished Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

Martin Indyk is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the former US ambassador to Israel, assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs, and special assistant to President Clinton. Previously, Indyk was executive vice president of the Brookings Institution and was President Obama's special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations from July 2013 to June 2014.

Executive Director, Democracy for the Arab World Now

Sarah Leah Whitson is the executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, known as DAWN, an organization founded by Jamal Khashoggi only months before his murder. Whitson also served as the executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division for 15 years.

Brian Hanson
Former Vice President, Studies

Brian Hanson served as the vice president of studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He managed the Council's research operations and hosted the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.
