Blinken meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia
NBCJun 04, 2023
The Facts
On Friday, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for a working lunch at the Élysée Palace in Paris as part of Salman's official visit to France.
The talks between the two leaders are aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in areas such as security and defense as well as the green energy transition. They are also set to discuss the Ukraine war and efforts to end the conflict.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The Saudi leader's visit once again underscores Macron's disgraceful status as the main architect of bin Salman's rehabilitation on the international political stage following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While Paris likes to talk about defending values, it courts the de facto ruler of the ultraconservative kingdom, where government critics continue to be executed and where it remains France's leading arms buyer. It's this flagrant hypocrisy that exposes Western political leaders like Macron as morally bankrupt.
Pro-establishment narrative
The crown prince's visit is the latest evidence of Macron's efforts to strategically reposition France in a shifting Middle East and world. Riyadh's reputation is far from impeccable, yet France welcomes the vital role Saudi Arabia plays in peace efforts in Yemen or Sudan. France's traditionally greater foreign policy autonomy and flexibility beyond the Western consensus — combined with the key role it plays in regions such as Africa, Lebanon, and elsewhere — position France to play a role in shaping the world's future.
