Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates: Has the U.S.-Saudi "Special Relationship" Outlived its Usefulness

Airs Sunday, March 26, 2017, at 6 p.m.  In 1945, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia met onboard the USS Quincy.  A close relationship between the two countries has been maintained ever since, with oil and military and intelligence cooperation at its foundation.  But the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. shale revolution, and human rights concerns have all put strains on this relationship.  Has this special relationship outlived its usefulness, or is it too important to walk away from? The debaters are Madawi Al-Rasheed, F. Gregory Gause, Mark P. Lagon, and James Jeffrey.