Putin’s Saudi Bromance Is Part of a Bigger Plan
Russia and China are making moves on America’s illiberal allies.
Two of a kind.
Photographer: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images
Sometimes a handshake can mean quite a lot. Richard Nixon’s outstretched hand to Zhou Enlai in 1972 marked the end of a quarter-century of Chinese-American estrangement. The decidedly bro-ey handshake between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad bin Salman at the G-20 summit last week was also laden with symbolism.
That handshake was, no doubt, a pointed reminder to Washington that the Saudis are willing to explore other geopolitical options if the U.S. gets tough in response to the assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet it was also indicative of a broader trend that is reshaping global politics.