The Heat: US-Saudi relations

The Heat

US Saudi Relations under the Trump Administration

It was more than 70 years ago when U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and Saudi King Abdul Aziz met near Cairo on-board the USS Quincy. What followed was a close relationship between the two countries — with oil, military and intelligence cooperation at its core.

But a number of issues, including the September 11th attacks and diverging interests in the Middle East have conspired to strain those ties. With a new leader in the White House, what will the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia go?

For more on how the two countries will function moving forward, CGTN’s Jim Spellman reports.

Tonight’s panel takes a look at the relations between U.S. and Saudi Arabia:

  • Kenneth Katzman, senior analyst for Middle East Affairs with the U.S. Congressional Research Service
  • Ali Al-Ahmed, a Saudi scholar and director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs
  • Chas Freeman, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the George H. W. Bush administration

For more: 

Donald Trump and Saudi