Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Discussion with Karen Elliott House

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing profound changes. With its young population, it faces a transition from a traditional, conservative society to one with greater rights, perhaps especially for women. The powerful young Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is driving some of these changes, which also concentrates power in his hands. The Biden administration has given him the cold shoulder because of his implication in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. What does this mean for the US-Saudi partnership that dates back to the Roosevelt administration? And how do difficulties between Washington and Riyadh look in the context of Iranian ambitions to achieve hegemony in the Middle East? Karen Elliott House, a longtime observer of Saudi Arabia and author of Saudi Arabia--Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines--and Future, discusses the cultural transformations and the political challenges.