Human rights activists welcome diplomats with protest boards as Saudi Arabia marks its statehood day with a reception in a hotel on September 22, 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands. One protester holds a sign saying, "Warning: You are entering a human rights danger zone." In August, a Saudi tribunal sentenced Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi citizen in the final year of her PhD studies at Leeds University's School of Medicine, to 34 years in prison over tweets that called for reform in the kingdom. The mother of two was arrested while on holiday in Saudi Arabia in 2021. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

America’s Autocratic Persian Gulf ‘Partners’ Are Actually Liabilities

Support for leaders who remain in power only via repression and cooptation is a recipe for instability, not strategic success.

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