Beijing is replacing Washington as the player with the contacts and the power to broker deals between rivals in the region.
Meanwhile the Kingdom is also undergoing an internal transformation. While Riyadh long clung to tradition and embraced fundamentalist Islamism, Crown Prince Mohammed has tied his legacy as the country's future king to modernization, cultivating a national identity beyond religion. The U.S. once approved of this metamorphosis but has grown increasingly suspicious.
Sabban links the country's economic and geopolitical"diversification" directly to Crown Prince Mohammed's"Vision 2030" strategy and argues,"Everyone must respect the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, just as we respect the interests of others." He warns,"No country should interfere in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia making its decisions in the international arena.
Today, U.S. communication with top adversaries has reached an all-time low. Meanwhile, China pursues a growing list of geopolitical goals, Russia wages war in Ukraine with no end in sight, Iran rebuilds ties with rivals and North Korea accelerates nuclear weapons development. Sanctions, the mainstay of U.S. diplomatic action, have so far done little to dissuade foes.
"To have a peaceful, prosperous world able to cope with unprecedented challenges such as environmental degradation, terrorism and violence of all types, massive flows of population, the threat of pandemics and the avoidance of nuclear war or use of other weapons of mass destruction, we need to deal with all countries with respect," he says.
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