logo
episode-header-image
May 2021
23m 25s

Mohammed Alyahya: Does Saudi Arabia stil...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Month by month, US President Joe Biden is shifting away from Trump-era foreign policy positions. But how dramatic will the pivot be? In the Middle East, there are signs of a changed approach to the region's two oil-rich adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran; more pressure on the Saudis, more engagement with Tehran. Stephen Sackur speaks to the influential boss of Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya English news channel, Mohamed Alyahya. Have the Saudis forfeited America’s unstinting support?

(Photo: Mohamed Alyahya appears via video link on Hardtalk)

Up next
Sep 3
Leah Solivan, TaskRabbit founder: How the gig economy falls short
“People just wanted to own the way they worked, but with that comes these institutional structures that have been built around the history of work that doesn’t allow for benefits programs or paid time off, or insurance. So there were all these things I knew that weighed on me. It ... Show More
22m 58s
Sep 1
Daron Acemoglu, Economist: Liberal democracy is in crisis
BBC Newsnight presenter Paddy O’Connell speaks to Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu about why he thinks liberal democracy is in crisis, and how artificial intelligence could make it worse.Daron argues that liberal democracy worked because people were given a say in how ... Show More
22m 59s
Aug 30
Michelle Bachelet, UN Chief candidate: Time for a woman to lead
“For 80 years, we only have men [lead the UN] and I think it is not about women because she is a woman … The idea is a woman because she has the experience, the leadership, the capacity, the knowledge, the ability to do things that need to be done…So I hope that that will be some ... Show More
23m 1s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
Can Biden reset US Saudi Arabia relations?
It took President Joe Biden more than a month to schedule a phone call with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, a contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump, who chose the kingdom as his first foreign destination after the election. Even though Saudi Arabia is considered a key ally in a v ... Show More
49m 38s
Dec 2020
Is Biden facing a new Middle East?
The assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh appears to have made life more difficult for President-elect Biden - yet another event to weigh up as he considers what to do about Donald Trump’s legacy across the Middle East. Over the last four years the Rep ... Show More
48m 54s
May 2022
The Saudi Climbdown and the Iranian Shakedown
Big things are shaping up in the Middle East as the Biden administration appears to be rethinking its get-tough policy on Saudi Arabia, even as it continues to hold out hope for a revived nuclear deal with Iran. Meanwhile, Russia looks poised to shut down a key humanitarian aid c ... Show More
50m 54s
Jul 2022
Sunday Edition: What’s Behind Biden’s Saudi Shift?
President Biden is scheduled to set out this week on an international trip which includes a stop in Saudi Arabia. We examine why Biden is re-engaging with the kingdom after vowing to make it a ‘pariah,’ and how the reset could have wide-ranging impacts from the Middle East to US ... Show More
14m 50s
Feb 2022
Is the U.S. Done With the Middle East?
<p>For the past two decades, American foreign policy has been entangled in major conflicts in the Middle East, but the Biden administration has signaled a shift toward Asia. Despite the pivot to other pressing global challenges, the region still plays a crucial role in America’s ... Show More
30m 35s
Jul 2022
President Biden travels to the Middle East
Following President Biden’s first Middle East trip and on the eve of President Putin’s trip to Tehran, Fareed asks Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University if new cold war divisions are solidifying in the Middle East. Then, ... Show More
39m 47s