From NYRB, a review essay on Saudi Arabia by Nicolas Pelman. Low crude prices and the war in Yemen have sent a shock through Saudi Arabia’s budget and forced it to revise its social contract even as it seeks to diversify its businesses. Saudis see writing on the wall, move to get economy off oil before it’s too late. Michael Stephens and Thomas Juneau on Saudi Arabia: Why we need this flawed ally. Daniel Benaim on what we know about Donald Trump’s Middle East policy. Ishaan Tharoor on the surreal strangeness of Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia. Donald of Arabia: He didn’t do anything embarrassing — but he did commit the United States to a deeper alliance with the very leaders who are part of the problem.
Michael A. Newton (Vanderbilt): An Assessment of the Legality of Arms Sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Context of the Conflict in Yemen. What America’s new arms deal with Saudi Arabia says about the Trump administration: It puts human rights aside to make a buck. To Trump, human rights concerns are often a barrier to trade. How Trump hurts the spying business: When the administration embraces autocrats or ignores human rights, it hurts the C.I.A.’s ability to recruit good spies. Here’s why the Saudis love Trump: As far as Saudi Arabia is concerned, Trump’s anti-Muslim rabble-rousing is just red meat for the American rubes.
P.C. Trump abandons “radical Islamic terror”. “I think Islam hates us”: A timeline of Trump’s comments about Islam and Muslims. Kevin Drum on the road to Riyadh, starring Donald Trump. There’s an old tweet to celebrate every occasion. There really is a tweet for everything.
