توتر العلاقات بين الولايات المتحدة والسعودية infographic
Graphic shows crucial issues shaping the relationship between United States and Saudi Arabia.
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توتر العلاقات بين الولايات المتحدة والسعودية

October 18, 2018 - The alleged killing of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul is straining a decades-long relationship based on mutually dependent interests.

President Donald Trump put a big and risky bet on Saudi Arabia and its 33-year-old crown prince. It's now become much riskier.

From the early days of his presidency, Trump and his foreign policy team embraced the kingdom and Mohammed bin Salman as the anchors of their entire Middle East strategy. From Iran and Iraq to Syria, Yemen and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the administration gambled that Saudi Arabia, effectively run by the prince, could credibly lead, and willingly pay for, a "Pax Arabica" in a part of the world from which Trump is keen to disengage.

For nearly two years, through an ongoing crisis with Qatar and international outrage over civilian casualties in the Saudi-led campaign against Yemeni rebels, the prince has managed to keep Washington's confidence. But now, the tide is turning amid growing outrage over the disappearance and likely death of a U.S.-based journalist inside a Saudi Consulate in Turkey, and that confidence appears to be waning. The Trump administration's grand strategy may be upended with far-reaching ramifications that extend well outside the region.

Sources
PUBLISHED:18/10/2018; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Newscom, Associated Press
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