‘Saudi First’: Why kingdom’s bailouts of allies now carry a price tag
Abu Nayef remembers a time when, if an Arab country was in trouble, they knew whom to call right away.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” says the 60-year-old date farmer. “When any Arab or Muslim state needed financial help, we were always there to fill that need.”
But in 2023, that role has taken on a more self-interested, transactional edge.
Today Saudi Arabia is replacing its policy of providing unconditional cash aid to allies with targeted investments instead. It’s part of a “Saudi First” foreign policy that puts the interests of the kingdom and its citizens ahead of the geopolitical and domestic interests of its allies – whether they be the United States or fellow Arab countries.
“Investments and economic deals are the way forward,” Abu Nayef
