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May 5, 2021
Special Dispatch No. 9321
Saudi Journalist Hussein Al-Shobokshi: Recent Developments Spark Cautious Hope That Middle East Is Heading Towards Peace
May 5, 2021
In an April 29, 2021 article titled Can There Be Peace in the Middle East, Saudi journalist and businessman Hussein Shobokshi notes that several hopeful developments have sparked cautious optimism in the region. The first of these developments is the recent reconciliation between the Gulf states and Qatar. Another is the turnaround in Turkey s position towards its longtime rival Egypt – manifest in a series of positive statements as well as practical measures – and the softening of Turkey s tone towards the Gulf states. Further positive signs, writes Shobokshi, are Saudi Arabia s moves towards ending the war in Yemen, and the recent interview given by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in which he said he seeks a good relationship with Iran.
Introduction
On April 23, 2021, customs authorities at the Saudi port of Jeddah announced that they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle drugs – mainly Captagon (fenethylline hydrochloride) pills, an amphetamine drug popular in the Middle East –
in a shipment of pomegranates arriving from Lebanon. Subsequently, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced that beginning April 25, the country would accept no Lebanese imports of agricultural produce. The ministry added that it had previously warned Lebanese authorities about the increase in drug smuggling attempts from its territory, and that the ban would remain in force until the Lebanese authorities provide satisfactory and documented guarantees that they have taken the necessary steps to stop the systematic smuggling against the kingdom.
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When Saudi Arabia’s founder, Ibn Saud, and President Franklin Roosevelt entered an agreement in the waning days of World War II in 1945, they did so as equal partners forging an alliance of mutual interests. That equality explains a lot about the limits of U.S. influence experienced by American presidents since.
After releasing the U.S. intelligence report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Biden administration came under fire for not dealing more harshly with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
State Department spokesman Ned Price addressed the fundamental tensions that exist in the relationship. “We seek to accomplish a great deal with the Saudis,” he said, “but we can only address these many important challenges in a partnership with Saudi Arabia that respects America’s values.”