The U.S.-Saudi relationship is fraught with complications. Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world, giving it influence over what Americans pay at the gas pump. At the same time, the kingdom’s human rights abuses are at odds with the United States’ stated democratic values. Who holds the power in this partnership? And what compromises are being made so the countries can work together?
 
Featured Guests:
 
Lina Alhathloul (Head of Monitoring and Communications, ALQST for Human Rights)
 
Madawi Al-Rasheed (Visiting Professor, Middle East Center, London School of Economics)
 
Steven A. Cook (Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies)
 
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/saudi-exception

The Saudi Exception

Each episode of Why It Matters breaks down an issue that is shaping our world’s future. Join host Gabrielle Sierra as she speaks with the leaders and thinkers who are facing these questions head on. Fueled by the minds at the Council on Foreign Relations, Why It Matters brings some of the world’s most compelling stories home to you.

News

A little over a week ago, Iran directly attacked Israel from its own territory for the first time in history. And while the United States and Israel shot down almost all of the missiles and drones, the attack remains unprecedented. Since the release of this episode, Israel has launched a relatively moderate counter strike, and tensions appear to be cooling. But the Middle East might still be on the brink of a wider war. Host Dan Kurtz-Phelan and guests Suzanne Maloney and Ali Vaez discuss the consequences of deteriorating Iran-Israel dynamics and more in this Foreign Affairs Interview episode.
 
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit Foreign Affairs at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/can-israel-and-iran-step-back-brink

Can Israel and Iran Step Back From the Brink? (Podcast Takeover)

Thirty years ago, Rwanda’s government began a campaign to eradicate the country’s largest minority group. In just one hundred days in 1994, roving militias killed around eight hundred thousand people. Would-be killers were incited to violence by the radio, which encouraged extremists to take to the streets with machetes. The United Nations stood by amid the bloodshed, and many foreign governments, including the United States, declined to intervene before it was too late. What got in the way of humanitarian intervention? And as violent conflict now rages at a clip unseen since then, can the international community learn from the mistakes of its past?
 
Featured Guests:
Claude Gatebuke (Executive Director, African Great Lakes Action Network)
David Scheffer (Senior Fellow for International Law and Criminal Justice, CFR)
 
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/remembering-rwandan-genocide

Remembering the Rwandan Genocide

Many Americans are losing faith in the benefits of internationalism. But whether it’s wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, worsening extreme weather as a result of climate change, or the trade-offs of globalization, events abroad are increasingly having a local impact. At the same time,  more state and local officials in the United States are becoming involved in global affairs, conducting their own form of diplomacy on international issues and driving investment home. What role should the United States play in the world economy? And how do states and cities fit in?
 
Read about the RealEcon Initiative.
 
Featured Guests:
Matthew P. Goodman, Distinguished Fellow for Global Economic Policy and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies
Nina Hachigian, U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy
 
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/local-leaders-global-economy

Local Leaders in the Global Economy

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are real. And the truth about them is often hidden from the public, for reasons related to national security. That secrecy has fed conspiracy theories about the possibility of alien life on Earth, creating a stigma around the legitimate scientific search for life on other planets. Why are UFOs considered a defense concern? And does a defense framing of UFOs inhibit scientific research?
 
Featured Guests
Philippe Ailleris (Copernicus Programme Project Controller, European Space Agency)
Shane Harris (Intelligence Correspondent, Washington Post)
Kai-Uwe Schrogl (President, International Institute of Space Law)
 
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/ufos-close-encounters-national-security-kind

UFOs: Close Encounters of the National Security Kind

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey predicts that this year/in 2024 the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?
 
Featured Guest: 
Paul B. Stares (General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action)
 
For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/2024-whats-worst-could-happen

The Saudi Exception

Download our free app to listen on your phone