Saudi Arabia is reconciling with regimes it once tried to topple
The kingdom now sees the Arab world as a nuisance
Diplomats rarely admit failure, but that is precisely what the Saudi foreign minister did on February 18th at the Munich Security Conference, an annual security gabfest. The kingdom has sought to keep Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s blood-soaked dictator, a pariah. Asked about rumours that his country may change course, though, Prince Faisal bin Farhan hinted that Mr Assad’s isolation was nearing an end. “There is a consensus growing that the status quo is not workable,” he said.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Cutting your losses”
From the February 25th 2023 edition
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