American officials who have visited Riyadh over the past eight months have prioritized interests over making dictates.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia last week where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for an hour and 40 minutes. He also met his Saudi counterpart.
Soon after, the Washington Post and New York Times came out with important articles on Saudi-American relations.
The Washington Post cited a classified document claiming that Crown Prince Mohammed had threatened economic sanctions in wake of American statements over OPEC+’s decision to cut production during the midterm elections. Is there any truth in this?
Crown Prince Mohammed certainly showed - without a shadow of a doubt - the American administration, and other powers, that Saudi Arabia has its interests and that whoever wants to approach it, must speak through the language of interests, not demands and dictates.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah made that clear just days ago when he said the Kingdom’s leaders “don’t respond to pressure.”
“When we do something, we do so for our own interests. I don’t think that anyone believes that pressure is beneficial,” he added.
It appears that the American administration has realized this. It has sent numerous officials to help mend relations with Riyadh. For the first time in a long time, the Washington Post actually published a news article about the Kingdom, rather than a piece of incitement against it. It said Blinken’s visit to Jeddah capped a series of ongoing meetings involving senior American officials in Saudi Arabia in recent months.
It noted that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, CIA chief William Burns, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein had all recently paid a visit to the Kingdom.
This demonstrates that the Saudi leadership, under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has proven that Riyadh does not yield to pressure. It does not care about the American blessing. Crown Prince Mohammed had previously said that what he has done and continues to do in Saudi Arabia is aimed at securing the interests of the Saudi people and their future.
Developments are proving this point and the Saudi-American relationship is again returning to the language of interests, not defiance and tensions.
The Washington Post’s leaked document highlights an important point. In public, the Saudi government defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements. But in private, the messages to the American administration were harsh.
This shows that the Saudi leadership and Crown Prince were not seeking controversy and sensational headlines. Saudi Arabia wanted to deliver a message and not play the hero as many figures in the region try to do.
This is what Riyadh has done throughout the year. It showed everyone, including Washington, that the only way to speak to it is through the language of interests and this is enough to maintain political ties.
Of course, the message has been delivered - through Saudi skill.
