Saudi Arabia is not like the West, not an easy ally. But for 70 years, the United States and the Saudis have managed oil and security. Not for much longer, it seems, if President Joe Biden has his way. Although the Saudis have taken what are, for them, huge steps toward opening society and removing the influence of the Wahabi religious establishment, the administration is prioritizing Saudi lapses in human rights.

Having come into office calling Saudi Arabia a pariah state, Biden removed the terror designation from Iran-supported Houthi rebels who were waging a missile war against Saudi cities and oil facilities from Yemen, and embargoed Patriot Missiles from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He pressured South Korea to release nearly a billion dollars of embargoed money to Iran. The CIA released a short, unsourced report on the death of Jamal Khashoggi, blaming Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) with no direct evidence. The President restored the Palestinians and Iranians — two entities the Saudis detest — to America’s diplomatic center stage.