March 29, The Saudi-Arabian- U.S. Relationship: Decades in the Making
Thomas W. Lippman, author, consultant, and lecturer
The relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has been forged in oil and security interests over more than eight decades, but the alliance has not been without struggle. How might the historical context shape our perceptions of the current challenges the relationship faces: Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen, human rights abuses and the suspected murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as uncertain oil futures in a changing energy economy? Drawing on forty years of experience in the region, Thomas W. Lippman illuminates the complex relationship between the two countries.
Lippman is the author of numerous magazine articles, book reviews and op-ed columns about Mideast affairs, and of eight books. His most recent book Crude Oil, Crude Money: Aristotle Onassis, Saudi Arabia, and the CIA tells the untold story of how American oil companies teamed up with the CIA and Department of State to thwart the plans of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who almost managed to reshape the Middle East.
Lippman is a former Middle East bureau chief of the Washington Post, and also served as that newspaper’s oil and energy reporter. He is currently a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, where he serves as the principal media contact on Saudi Arabia and U.S. – Saudi relations.
More information on our speaker: https://www.tomlippman.net/
