This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Gregory Gause, professor of international affairs at Texas A&M University and a longstanding expert on Saudi Arabia. They talk about President Biden's upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia and what both sides hope to get out of the meeting, why Gause thinks that the United States should focus on order in the Middle East, and how the energy transition will impact U.S. engagement with the region. Then, Jon continues the conversation with Natasha Hall and Danny Sharp to break down how President Biden and U.S. officials are thinking about the president's trip.

Gregory Gause, "America's New Realism in the Middle East," Foreign Affairs, July 6, 2022.

Jon Alterman, "Rethinking Saudi Arabia," CSIS, June 23, 2022.

Gregory Gause, "The Price of Order," Foreign Affairs, March 2022.

Gregory Gause, "The United States is the Last Check on MBS's Power," Foreign Affairs, March 30, 2021.

Transcript, "President Biden's Trip to Saudi Arabia," CSIS, July 12, 2022.