Saudi Arabia tries to shed 'pariah status,' remaking itself as a key middleman in global conflicts


Saudi Arabia tries to shed

March 10, 2025, 12:45 PM EDT By Alexander Smith Saudi Arabia will host a key summit Tuesday between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is trying to repair relations with Washington following his disastrous Oval Office bust-up with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. It’s another soft-power coup for a country that has deliberately cultivated a reputation as a diplomatic go-between. Whether it’s hosting American officials for negotiations to end the Ukraine war, orchestrating talks about the future of Gaza or rolling out the red carpet for Trump’s first foreign trip, Saudi Arabia has emerged in recent years as an unlikely global powerbroker. Less than five years ago, then-presidential hopeful Joe Biden called the kingdom a “pariah” and, even after significant reforms, rights groups say the authoritarian Gulf state still has an “abysmal” human rights record. The talks in the coastal city of Jeddah are emblematic of the rebranding effort choreographed by powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.