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Following visits by the leaders of France, Britain, and Turkey, Biden’s trip comes after Russia’s attack of Ukraine sent oil prices soaring, compounding economic pain. It is a non-qualified victory for Prince Mohammed, who has led his nation on a roller coaster since being named King Salman’s heir on June 21, 2017.
In another sign that relations are improving, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that now the crown prince would visit the country next week for the first time since Khashoggi’s murder.
During his tenure as the unofficial ruler of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and the location of Islam’s two holiest place, “MBS” has liberalised many aspects of daily life while maintaining strict control.
However, his efforts to transform the conservative kingdom risk being overwhelmed by Khashoggi’s murder, an act so heinous that Biden’s trip – a routine move for previous American leaders – has sparked controversy.
In October 2018, Saudi agents murdered and disembowelled Khashoggi, an insider transformed critic, in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.
According to US intelligence, Prince Mohammed “approved” an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, which he denies.
Following visits by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Turkish President Erdogan, the meeting with Biden is a major endorsement of Prince Mohammed.
“When it comes to official public statements and movement in the West, Washington was kind of the hub of opposition to MBS,” said Yasmine Farouk of the Carnegie Funding for International Peace.
“This is exactly what MBS has been aiming for over the last year and a half: a meeting and a photo with Biden as a counterpart,” one Riyadh-based diplomat said.
When Biden arrives, he will notice Prince Mohammed’s imprint almost everywhere. However, no group has suffered more than Saudi women.
The repeal of infamous rules governing what women can wear and in which they can go is at the heart of the new Saudi liberalisation narrative.
