Getting Back on an Even Keel

Posted: June 15th, 2016

By Simon Henderson

Simon Henderson is the Baker fellow and director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute, specializing in energy matters and the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf. A former journalist with Financial Times, Mr. Henderson has also worked as a consultant advising corporations and governments on the Persian Gulf. He became an associate of the Institute in 1999 and joined the staff in 2006. He started his career with the British Broadcasting Corporation before joining the Financial Times. His experience includes serving as a foreign correspondent in Pakistan in 1977-78, and reported from Iran during the 1979 Islamic revolution and seizure of the U.S. embassy.

Despite U.S. President Barack Obama’s trip to Riyadh in April, and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s visit to the U.S. this week, friction in the U.S.-Saudi relationship remains palpable. According to Simon Henderson, a Saudi expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Saudis have essentially “lost faith in the Obama White House” and “are just waiting for the day that the Obama Administration ends.” However, Henderson adds the Kingdom remains reliant on the U.S. for security and “wants to reinforce U.S.-Saudi ties by having a strong military supply relationship.”

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