Al-Jazirah

SENATOR Lindsey Graham is an American politician and a senior member of the Republican Party. He has been a member of the US Senate from South Carolina since 2003. He was known for his good relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Sen. Graham stood by Saudi Arabia on many occasions, notably in his positive stand about the Kingdom’s efforts restore legitimacy in Yemen. He supported Saudi efforts to curb the Iranian influence in the Middle East. In 2016, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received at his office a Congressional delegation led by Sen. Graham. During this visit, Graham met with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, who was then deputy crown prince.

Graham began his campaign against Saudi Arabia in the context of a criminal incident. He tried to politicize the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi, despite the fact that Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution announced the results of an investigation into the murder, revealed the identity of those involved in the killing and was preparing to present them in court.

However, Sen. Graham and others like him are trying to add fuel to the fire to make political gains back home. Those who closely follow the news regarding Lindsey Graham will notice that he has been heading an aggressive campaign against the Kingdom in the US Congress. He is trying to bring sanctions on Saudi Arabia and force his government to take a tough stand against the Kingdom, the closest ally of the United States in the region. He does not care about the damage his moves would inflict on the strong relations between the two allies, a relationship that started with the meeting between the founder of Saudi Arabia King Abdul Aziz and the then President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt in 1945.

What is strange here is the sudden 180 degree turnabout in Sen. Graham’s position with regard to the Kingdom.

As I said before, Sen. Graham was known for his warm relationship with Saudi Arabia and his vocal support for the Kingdom vis-à-vis Yemen and Iran. We can say that the shift in Graham’s position became clear after the visit of Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al-Thani, the CEO of Qatar Investment Authority, to South Carolina in February 2018 to discuss investment opportunities in the state and efforts to bolster its economy. A memorandum of understanding was signed, according to which Doha and Charleston, the second largest city in South Carolina, will strengthen economic and cultural ties. Possible Qatari investment in real state, infrastructure and other sectors was also discussed.

Graham’s connections with Doha became stronger after a visit by him to the Qatari Embassy in Washington and a meeting with the Qatari defense minister last August to discuss military ties between the two countries, according to statements issued by the senator at that time. Since then, his stand has changed and his tone against the Kingdom has become aggressive. He transformed to become one of the most vicious people campaigning against Saudi Arabia. The senator is leading a group that is trying to undermine the strategic ties between the US and Saudi Arabia.

We must also point out Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and his deputy Bob Menendez and their hostile stand against the Kingdom, which was clear in June 2018 when they met with the Qatari foreign minister at a dinner in Washington where they discussed ways to improve bilateral relations.

We also like to point out what happened in 2013 after former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s government fell. Graham and the late Senator John McCain visited Cairo at the request of President Barak Obama to persuade the Egyptian regime to hold general elections in the country in an effort to save the Muslim Brotherhood.

Graham said to CBS news, one week before the visit that the US president demanded that he and McCain visit Egypt to find a solution to the political crisis in that country. He clearly said long gone were the days when the United States would prop up dictatorial regimes abroad. He said the Arab Spring was a reality.

Addressing a political conference in Washington after his Egyptian visit at the time, Graham said the United States would not support Egypt economically and politically unless democratic elections were held in the country.