As the Middle East undergoes a once-in-a-generation shift in political fault lines, great power diplomacy could make the difference for millions between peace and stability or turbulence and endless conflict. So what’s driving that diplomacy? Between the US and Saudi Arabia, a confusing mix of bilateral security ties, regional reach-outs to the likes of Syria and Israel, and personal enrichment. We’ll ask about the Trump family’s longstanding ties to the Kingdom as well as reports that the US president’s about to get a lot richer.

That blurring of lines between affairs of state and private investment just one of the talking points as the Saudi crown prince is welcomed with honors to the White House for the first time since the 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Mohamed Ben Salman who back then threw his weight around domestically and on the world stage has mended fences with Iran, wound down his country’s involvement in Yemen’s brutal civil war and more recently brokering a breaking of the ice with Syria’s new masters.

How all in is Saudi Arabia, a nation whose role is key in guaranteeing that US efforts to end fighting in Gaza ensure a better future for Palestinians, as agreed in Monday’s UN vote which endorsed the Trump plan. For a US president who campaigned against forever wars, will this visit by MBS help him keep that pledge or keep the United States militarily committed to the region for a long, long time?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.