Time to Get Tough on Saudi Arabia

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In The Media

Time to Get Tough on Saudi Arabia

The United States has significant leverage over Saudi Arabia; it just needs the political will to use it.

By Richard Sokolsky

Published on Jan 6, 2016

Source: Foreign Affairs

Saudi Arabia’s execution last week of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, for peacefully protesting the kingdom’s discriminatory anti-Shiite policies has escalated sectarian tensions in the Middle East and plunged Saudi-Iranian relations to a new low. The rupture in diplomatic ties between the two countries could worsen the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and complicate efforts to end them; it could also undercut the U.S.-led campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in Syria and Iraq...

This article was originally published by Foreign Affairs.

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About the Author

Richard Sokolsky

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

Richard Sokolsky is a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program. His work focuses on U.S. policy toward Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.

Recent Work

Paper
Russia’s National Security Narrative: All Quiet on the Eastern Front
- Eugene Rumer, Richard Sokolsky
Commentary
Putin’s War Against Ukraine and the Balance of Power in Europe
- Eugene Rumer, Richard Sokolsky

Political Reform Foreign Policy North America United States Middle East Saudi Arabia Gulf

Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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