you can jump in anytime you want jim if i go to you first in washington these words coming out of riyadh is that bluster i mean the united states and saudi arabia are attached at the hip and they have been for for decades it's just words coming out of riyadh well i don't think i have any particular insight into what what king abdullah is thinking and obviously he's kind of the supreme decision maker it's not the words are not just coming out of out of riyadh itself they're they're coming out of washington because prince turki just gave a very fiery speech and defiant speech. at a conference here a couple of days ago. i think there are two schools of thought one school of thought here believes that it is mainly bluster that. saudi arabia is so closely and tangled particularly on the military and security front with the united states that it really can't sue for divorce but there are others who believe that saudi arabia is really quite serious and that it's looking for other foreign partners great powers including for example russia itself to wean itself away from washington over the long

you can jump in anytime you want jim if i go to you first in washington these words coming out of riyadh is that bluster i mean the united states and saudi arabia are attached at the hip and they have been for for decades it's just words coming out of riyadh well i don't think i have any particular insight into what what king abdullah is thinking and obviously he's kind of the supreme decision maker it's not that words are not just coming out of out of riyadh itself they're they're coming out of washington because prince turki just gave a very fiery speech and defiant speech. at a conference here a couple of days ago. i think there are two schools of thought one school of thought here believes that it is mainly bluster that. saudi arabia is so closely and tangled particularly on the military and security front with the united states that it really can't sue for divorce but there are others who believe that saudi arabia is really quite serious and that it's looking for other foreign partners great powers in.

is concerned but it now looks like riyadh is really telling washington what to do and essentially what they're saying is either you play by our rules on our home turf or else isn't that a kind of a veiled strath saudi arabia has been a very important ally and i think they will also continue to be an ally but they will i think more independently pursue their own national interests i think they will do so more publicly and i think they feel more of a burden now to represent at least the gulf arab world in foreign policy and military affairs particularly those that affect their region well but they're not just representing foreign policy affairs in that region that actively influencing those affairs and i think the the events in libya and syria and egypt are very. illustrative testament to that but ambassador jordan the what leverage does the united states really have of the saudi arabia you seem to move from one death crisis to the next they're awash with money you need that oil they are the ones who are setting the prices if you say no they turn around and walk to the chinese isn't it t

the gulf says it no longer wants to be dependent on its big brother because of its foreign policies riyadh is upset with what it calls a lack of u.s. unction on syria and america's warming relations with iran this new shift could bring about a variety of problems for washington there was being a possible disruption of oil sales to help us get to the bottom of this let's not talk through security and intelligence on this day you'll see moment mr moment welcome to she is good to have you with us so what you think of washington's reaction will be are they going to change their foreign policy again maybe. while washington is very much concerned about this shift or the. seemingly shift in the saudi arabia foreign policy this is not this isn't not new phenomenon has been happening over the last brought up with over the last few years to three years but there is a concern in washington though i don't think the united states will shift its strategic or tactical approaches in the region. the cornerstone of the obama foreign policy was to make inroads into the muslim and arab world the policy has fa

but middle east diplomats tell fox news that riyadh is also livid over the president's hastily arranged telephone california to president hassan rouhani and washington's recent decision to curtail military aid to egypt. other arab governments like jordan and the united arab emirates are also voicing displeasure. >> what the saudis are concerned about is the fact that the united states is not consulting with its allies in the region before it goes to iran or before it takes those important decisions about syria. being correct in the alliance with each other. >> reporter: citing private comments by saudi arabia's intelligence chief, the "wall street journal" reported that riyadh is scaling back its cooperation with the u.s. in the arming and training of rebel fighters in syria where the saudis believe the u.s. has failed to come through on promises of robust support. reuters reported that the saudis' new posture would affect not only the military approach in syria but also bilateral commerce with the united states. the state department denied hearing of such sentiments. >> not to my knowl

and when i arrived in riyadh, it was a very friendly reception. and i spent the whole night after the initial dinner, until 4:00 in the morning, talking about the palestinian issue and other issues with a bunch of the younger princes in saudi arabia, one of whom is now the foreign minister. it was a fascinating experience. c-span: you write in your book "only three million of saudi arabia's 14 million citizens are employed." there are only 14 million citizens in saudi arabia? >> guest: i think the total population is well over 20 million. but i think that's the right number for citizens. c-span: and then you say, while there are seven million foreigners living in saudi arabia, the government takes care to ensure that their ways do not influence the natives. why do they need seven million foreigners, and can those foreigners become saudi arabian citizens? >> guest: i don't believe they can. and they need somebody to work, because by and large, the saudis don't work. that's a very crude generalization. and there are undoubtedly saudis and saudis who

hearing privately for a long time, since the beginning of the obama administration, the unhappy ins in riyadhards the obama's willingness to negotiate and extend its hand to iran, and then its dissidence in dealing with iran's client, bashar assad. now it's completely out in the open. their foreign minister did not come to give a speech at the u.n. they turned down a seat at the u.n. security council. the prince who was for many years ambassador here, had a talking with european diplomats who let the americans know how unhappy they are. so, for them to be as public as they are, is what is most -- >> just to show you how public, i want to read something from prince al faisal. >> the current charade over the chemical weapons would be fun if if it were only designed to givemer obama an opportunity to step book and allow mr. assad to butcher his people. he said that in public. you don't hear -- >> how often do you hear a saudi aristocrat to rebuke -- >> the proper critique. people are being butchered in syria. you don't look to saudi arabia as a pair gone of human rights but some might ask, the s

and the cause is gaining support in the streets of riyadh. this video shot by another saudi woman captures men giving women drive areas thumbs-up. others like aziza al youssef have gotten involved in the driving campaign more recently and say that's putting more pressure on saudi leaders to change. >> i think this time people -- there is more acceptance from the society. and i think there is more people in this campaign than ever. and i think it's going to happen very soon. >> but al youssef isn't waiting for permission. >> it's not like it's a one-day thing. for me in my mind there is no ban. i do it two or three times a week. >> madea says she's not stopping any time soon. >> nothing is given to you. you really have to find it. and we know in united states, we know in europe, women had to really struggle, women had to be imprisoned. no reason i think it should be any easier in saudi arabia. it isn't. it's just a matter of being resistant and just continuing one after the other. one request after the other. right now our main request is driv

you can jump in anytime you want jim if i go to you first in washington these words coming out of riyadh is that bluster i mean the united states and saudi arabia are attached at the hip and they have been for.

just three years dozens of saudis have taken their cars and proudly driven through the streets of riyadh but as shocking as the forbidden practice may sound the western ears this ban on women driving actually has no legal basis in the country which is part of a larger system of customs meant to ensure that women stay in line and are obedient servants to their male counterparts. to get money or you know. the first thing you need to this is as a woman the pope either your father or you this money is your god if he. joe protocol is your job to do your book. now is amnesty international trying to bring the light to the seriousness of the situation and study arabia every woman has to have a male guardian women need permission to do almost everything travel work go to school get medical treatment and talk to the opposite sex so the actions these women took were incredible considering how they are challenging the entire saudi culture and not just a fantasy law the state of women is only a microcosm of the larger human rights epidemic taking place in the country appallingly enough saudi arabia i

welcome back to worlds apart a riyadh discussing syrian chemical design meant with uncle a cane the u.n. high representative for design meant affairs. you've been of in the united nations for so long and i know that in one of your previous capacities you served as the assistant secretary for political affairs dealing with all sorts of conflicts in palestine iraq nepal and clearly politics plays a very important role in any conflict but i wonder given your experience how would you rate syria. in terms of politics international politics a fact in conflict resolution both negatively and positively and i think of what has happened is that the syrian conflict has gone on very long it's gone on for two and a half years i think a lot of people have died we just talked about the chemical weapons on the victims but i think we forget the magnitude of how many people have been killed by conventional weapons it's over one hundred thousand i think the latest figure now is one hundred ten thousand the syrian conflict has created millions of refugees some in two and a half million refugees in neighbor

will riyadh's by developing encrypted communication for its leader is a quarter say for expats europe to restrict access to private data and raise all calls for american businesses and the same number says obama will apologize and maybe even offer to supply only u.k. prime minister david cameron instead and just around ten percent of you believe that germany will retaliate by offering asylum to edward snowden and julian assange dot com and cause your vote if you haven't done so over. as a promising solution to the housing shortage could be on its way. with predictions of a looming housing crisis with rent at an all time high in the u.k. right now we're going to be telling you why some people it's kind of a way for breaks the law and instead turning into a big shipping container but the police will be bringing you that story later in the program to stay with us to you watching. well for the. science technology innovation and all the latest developments around russia we've got the future covered wealthy british scientists on. the tires on. the car. market why not. come to. find out what

in riyadh two were shot, six in the eastern province.ll fined and forced to sign a pledge to respect the kingdom's laws. for the woman of this country, driving is just the beginning. in saudi arabia women need formal permission from a male guardian to work, travel, attend school or get medical treatment. the campaign garnered 17,000 signatures, launched its own hashtag and inspired a bob marley parody which has been viewed 7 million times. ♪ in this bright future you can't forget your past ♪ ♪ so put your car key away no woman no drive no woman no drive ♪ >> unsurprisingly the campaign has angered the country's conservative religious elite. one well-known cleric said driving could damage the ovaries, while only warpted it would spell the end of virginity lead to prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce. one saudi opinion writer, the most outspoken supporter of the movement has been detained and is currently held without a lawyer. to mr. mubarak and all the saudi women who decided to take the driver's seat, we admire your cour

to its arab neighbors, they can't depend on the united states any longer and they should look to riyadh. it is still a very big and important slam to the united nations. >>> google entered new territory. the stock crossed the $1,000 mark for the first time. 1011. the exact close. a 14% jump which is pretty huge when you think of a stock at $1,000. this was because they came out with number for the quarter that were better than expected. you know what? analysts say it will get better. analysts say it can go higher. about an 8% gain from current level which is pretty impressive but not as impressive as those who bought it at $85. >>> secret recordings in the missouri rape case. the mother of a 14-year-old alleged uranium victim has released audio tapes she had. melinda coleman said the tapes prove she and her daughter cooperated with authorities and wanted to testify. this is all what this comes down to. did they want to testify? and that they only invoke their fifth amendment rights after felony charges were dropped against the boy. but do the tapes conclusively prove the prosecutor drop

i spoke to the song's creators in riyadh via skype. >> what have you been hearing as far as the reactione against the woman driving >> they told me that's not the case. they just wanted to spread a little cheer. apparently they have. the clip has gone viral in a big way with more than a million views on youtube in less than 24 hours. >> for me personally it's been very loving and supportive. of course, you're going to get criticism. you're online doing comedy. everybody's a critic. >> in the ultra conservative kingdom, the driving movement has many fierce critics, a lot of them are women. society is the still very much split on the issue. this woman drove through the streets last week but was too worried to do so again on saturday. >> still she was able to take a little comfort from an unlikely source. one that had become an unexpected anthem. ♪ ♪ say i remember when you used to sit ♪ ♪ in the family car the back seat ♪ >> it cracked me up. i laughed and i shared it with everybody. i wanted it to have the same effect on them because it eats up a lot of the tension i was feeling. >> repor

i'm talking to riyadh. i'm talking to moscow. know it's done. >> michael rubin, you reckon it's over or still in the discussion phase? >> well, let me put it this way. at the very least, what we're seeing is ashot across the bow in a way that is more serious than what we've seen in decades. but the whole confidence of our arab allies in the persian gulf has been shaken. the second president obama talked about pivot to asia, because this the life span of all the defense ministers, all the kings, they remember harold mcmillan, the british prime minister in 1968 who talked about abandoning east of suez, and then the british left two years later. what that gulf arab ally sees is history repeating themselves. they believe they're being abandoned, and they're going to accommodate whatever they need to do in order to come out ahead. >> all right. we'll leave there it, gentlemen. thanks very much. michael rubin, john batchelor, we appreciate it. >>> now, very controversial new op-ed says members of congress manipulate the entire legislat

i should add one more thing, don, we've heard from the riyadh police that at least five women were stoppednto the custody of their male guardians who came to pick them up, don? >> ah, very interesting. that bob marley tune, we like that. listen, besides not driving, what other restrictions do women face in saudi arabia? i mean, have they been given any more freedom recently? >> reporter: look, they've been promised more freedom, don, but they haven't really gotten that freedom. the king there is seen as a cautious reformer. he's made a lot of pledges towards women there. says that they should be more empower empowered, but let's look at the facts women in saudi arabia cannot go to school. they cannot travel. cannot open a bank account. they cannot do practically anything without the permission of their male guardian. we get back to this guardianship system in saudi arabia. they do not have the control over their lives that they want. and they say they need that to change. i grew up in saudi arabia. i can tell you what i'm seeing today is remarkable and these women are very brave to be doin

washington, take one in riyadh.ating across all city for not too much money given the price of gasoline inside -- saudi arabia, but economists would tend to think this is to get rid of subsidies. it is better that you cash grants and let them pay real prices. you know, it can be a very tricky situation with respect to social unrest and other things. the tendency of when -- i used to be a professor of far begin a bureaucrat to identify it simple solutions one comes to washington organs to some other capital a lot of my simple solutions to work the same way that their work in a textbook. many would like to do that. the lead to drive the efficiency some other way. they have to delete the subsidies to fuel economy regulations. >> if you look at other renewals commodity that, but is still pretty over, 2030. i your expect to allow the attraction from the u.s. and worldwide effort, sustainable energy from the 2030. >> renewable energy. >> globally. solar and wind approaching 89%. the electricity supply. this is the total g

so right now i think saudi arabia, riyadh is actually concerned about the potential of a rapprochement between iran and saudi arabia. iran is a natural power in the persian gulf. it has 80 million people, which is more than all the countries combined, multiplied by five. it has the second largest natural gas reserves in the world. it has the third largest oil reserves in the world. it has the largest middle-class, and it has a glorious history. they know that if iran and the u.s. can develop a mechanism to manage their complex, iran and once again is going to become the undisputed power in the region. that is unacceptable to the saudi. i honestly believe, and i know this is going to create a lot of problems for me, but since you have been so brave and did not say to me things that are controversial, i'm going to say something that is controversial. i think the conflict between iran and israel is much more manageable than the conflict between iran and saudi arabia. [applause] >> your turn. >> this is i think it's a good component of this conversation. because when i dropped that any ear

i mean, if you don't like the cost you pay for a cab in washington, you know, take one in riyadh.oss the whole city for not too much money given the price of gasoline. you know, in saudi arabia. but, yeah, economists would tend to think, gee, this is like a no-brainer to get rid of, you know, subsidies and the like and that it's better to give people cash grants and let them pay real prices. you know, it can be a very trick key situation with respect to social unrest and other things. a tendency of pointy-headed types. i used to be a professor before i became a bureaucrat to identify simple solutions that could easily be done. and when one comes to washington or goes to some other capital, a lot of times the simple solutions, you know, don't work same way that they work in the textbooks. so i think there is some effort to work to reduce, you know, some of the energy subsidies in energy-producing countries. i think their governments, in respects, would like to do that. i know many of these countries would maybe like to drive efficiency some other way than having to eliminate their