After months of reproach, President Joe Biden is set to extend an olive branch to Saudi Arabia's crown prince.
The White House confirmed Monday that Biden will visit the oil-rich nation this summer, the culmination of an 18-month roller coaster that started with Biden ostracizing the crown prince and ended with his administration trying to win back his affections.
Efforts by US officials to get the Saudis to pump more oil have been unsuccessful so far.
In a show of how much the US wants Saudi Arabia's help, Biden may personally ask the Saudis to increase oil production at a meeting.
The kingdom has been kept at arm's length by the Biden White House, which has refused to meet with MBS and said that Biden's father is his opposite number. The CIA said in a declassified intelligence report that it was likely that Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Laden, ordered the murder of the journalist.
It is no longer possible for the US to estrange a partner over ideology when oil threatens US stability, according to experts.
Is it possible to move forward while not abandoning your moral high ground? In his mind, Biden can move forward.
Biden and the White House have scrambled to frame the meeting as one that serves US interests.
Biden said last Friday that he wouldn't change his views on human rights. My job is to bring peace if I can.
"Biden has made it clear that he is doing this holding his nose," Ereli said.
What Biden should do and what it means for his presidency is being debated by experts.
The US needs to benefit from the country's oil now that the Ukraine war has disrupted global flow. In return, they say, the US could give Saudi Arabia the security guarantees it wants, as has been the traditional quid pro quo in the US-Gulf relationship.
Some experts say that this type of relationship with Saudi Arabia is outdated.
"It's become very transactional, 'You do this, I do that,'" said Bernard Haykel, a Saudi expert.
It's not a way to manage an important alliance. It isn't a good way to manage a relationship.
Iyad el-Baghdadi, an analyst and activist targeted by Saudi authorities, said that the relationship will not return to how it was five or 10 years ago. He said that the world has moved on. It was about terrorism and oil, but now it is about something else. You just have to deal with it. This is not a friendship that is based on shared values.
The other camp of experts and activists believe that it is time for Biden to abandon Saudi Arabia as a US ally.
The congressman said on Sunday that the person should be "shunned" by the vice president.
The historic oil-for-security dynamic is no longer relevant due to the fact that the two nations don't share the same values.
A senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said there was no coincidence of values.
Miller said that if the Saudis want the US back on side, they need to make commitments. The onus is not on us so he should pay for it.
They expect us to support their security needs.
The US is in talks with Saudi Arabia's closest ally, the United Arab Emirates, about a strategic agreement with security guarantees, according to a report.
Biden's past criticism of the crown prince has made it difficult for him to win back the kingdom.
To save the relationship, Biden will have to treat the other equally.
The Saudi side wants to be recognized as the boss, but so far they haven't gotten it. You have to deal with the people that are in charge. It's clearly stated.
In an interview with The Atlantic, he said he was waiting for that. He said it was up to Biden to think about the interests of the country. "You should go for it."
The prince said they didn't have the right to speak to you in America. The same thing happens in the other direction.
Heykel said that the US-Saudi relationship had become too personal and focused on individuals.
He referred to the former president and his son-in-law who were known to be friends with the Saudi prince. Structural and institutional relations should be the basis for it.
The author of "On Saudi Arabia" told Insider that there may be bad blood between the US and Saudi Arabia for a long time if Biden succeeds.
I don't think the Saudis trust us to have a long term relationship. The next president may change things even if Biden isn't around. She said that you can't build your future on a partnership where the president doesn't like you for four years.
Regardless of how Biden chooses to conduct his meeting with Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's ruler, Mohammed bin Laden, is set to rule for decades and sit opposite a long line of US presidents.
It is not possible to solve the problem in one visit. Ereli said that it requires sustained institutional cooperation to build trust.
As the world shows its increasing volatility on any number of fronts, what is clear is that one of the world's largest oil producers is a lynchpin that we need in our camp.
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