The Year Ahead
Saudi Prince Hits a New Year Reset by Making Allies Not Enemies
- Saudi leader repositions himself ahead of Biden presidency
- Regional dynamics, Iran, struggling economy also playing role
Photographer: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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On a day that Saudi Arabia jolted the oil market with an output cut it called a “gesture of goodwill,” the kingdom’s de-facto ruler took center stage in a mirrored concert hall, ready to resolve a different crisis.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had presided over the rift with Qatar for more than three years. But now there were just two weeks before a new U.S. leader took office, and President-elect Joe Biden had promised to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah.” Combined with threats from Iran and a weakening economy, the prince’s calculation had been shifting: reconciliation looked better than conflict.