The U.S. should “sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia,” Senator Lindsey Graham said in 2018. He vowed that he would never visit Saudi Arabia so long as its “ wrecking ball ” of a leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), remained in charge. Since then, Graham has visited Saudi Arabia and met with MBS at least five times.

Graham’s about-face mirrors a wider U.S. shift on Saudi Arabia—one worth bearing in mind as MBS comes to Washington. During President Donald Trump’s first term, Congress passed three separate, bipartisan bills blocking U.S. arms sales to the kingdom, forcing Trump to veto the bills to keep U.S. weaponry flowing. Republicans and Democrats alike blasted Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in Yemen, arguing that Riyadh failed to protect civilians and stoked a

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