Mohammed bin Salman in the City of Light: Does West value economic interests over 'Western values'?

Summary

Jean-Emile Jammine is pleased to welcome Susanne Koelbl, Der Spiegel's award-winning foreign correspondent. According to Koelbl,, Emmanuel Macron’s decision to welcome Mohammed bin Salman at the Élysée reflects realpolitik in its purest form: 'Saudi Arabia had become too important for energy, regional security, investment and diplomacy in the Middle East to be permanently isolated. So Macron wanted to establish France as an independent, balanced power between the Mediterranean and the Gulf."