In the past, President Biden has called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” for its human rights abuses and said that he would never meet with its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

But Mr. Biden’s first trip as president to the Middle East included talks with the prince. What prompted the change in course?

Guest: Ben Hubbard, the Beirut bureau chief for The New York Times.

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Background reading: 

• Mr. Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia garnered scathing criticism and modest accords.
• An unspoken result of Mr. Biden’s meeting with Prince Mohammed: A setback in the case of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who was killed by Saudi agents in 2018.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.