jamal khashoggi

Blowback on MBS from Khashoggi murder saved many other journalists, says expert

GZERO World Clips

Blowback on MBS from Khashoggi murder saved many other journalists, says expert

US-Saudi relations were strained after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA says was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS. And he knows it was a risky move. "I don't think that they will ever do anything like that again," says Bernard Haykel, a professor at Princeton University and MBS insider. Still, he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, the regime will continue to be very repressive and authoritarian, doing things like mass executions of convicted terrorists from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State but also dissident Shiites.

From Biden’s pariah to core partner: US Saudi visit a win for MBS

GZERO World Clips

From Biden’s pariah to core partner: US Saudi visit a win for MBS

In October 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in Istanbul. The CIA says de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS, gave the order. That led US President Joe Biden to ghost MBS, and even label him a "pariah." But after Biden's recent Middle East trip, the Saudi crown prince now looks less like a pariah and more like a partner, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.

Saudi Arabia’s repressive power politics

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Saudi Arabia’s repressive power politics

US President Joe Biden famously said he would treat Saudi Arabia as a "pariah" for ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But with oil prices near record highs and Iran seen as a growing menace, he felt he had no choice but to go there to revive the US-Saudi relationship. Biden didn't get much out of his trip, which Princeton University professor and MBS confidante Bernard Haykel says was a "big win" for the Saudis and the crown prince himself. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks to Haykel, a Saudi expert, who discusses how MBS consolidated power, why the targeting of other journalists is unlikely, the kingdom's strategic value to the US, MBS's strategy to modernize his country, and the prospects for future warmer ties with Israel.

Activist Loujain al-Hathloul is far from free in MBS's reformed Saudi Arabia

GZERO World Clips

Activist Loujain al-Hathloul is far from free in MBS's reformed Saudi Arabia

In 2014, Loujain al Hathloul did the unthinkable: attempt to drive into Saudi Arabia, the last country in the world with a driving ban for women. That changed four years later after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS, removed the restriction on women, she explains on GZERO World. But just six weeks before the ban was lifted there, she was arrested in the UAE and flown to Riyadh against her will. Loujain later spent more than 1,000 days behind bars for her activism defending women's rights.

Podcast: Breathing While Black with WaPo's Karen Attiah

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast

Podcast: Breathing While Black with WaPo's Karen Attiah

Listen: In the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer explores international reaction to the murder of George Floyd and global protests against police brutality and racism. Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor of The Washington Post, explains her view that, on issues of race and inequality, the U.S. is a "developing country," and while this moment of uprising offers hope for real change there is still much work to be done.

Breathing while Black: WaPo's Karen Attiah on racial injustice

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Breathing while Black: WaPo's Karen Attiah on racial injustice

In the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer explores international reaction to the murder of George Floyd and global protests against police brutality and racism. Karen Attiah, Global Opinions Editor of The Washington Post, explains her view that, on issues of race and inequality, the U.S. is a "developing country," and while this moment of uprising offers hope for real change there is still much work to be done.