The United States Senate has passed bipartisan legislation that prohibits United States interference in Saudi Arabia and the United States support of the Saudi regime. The Senate ended the United States’s arms agreement with the country and condemned them for the death of American journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. This resolution came after president Trump was criticized for not being hard enough on the Saudi prince after it was revealed that he ordered the murder of the journalist.

The United States has been a close ally of Saudi Arabia for decades. Providing security and stability for the Middle East has been a top priority for the U.S., specifically to ensure the oil reserves in the area are protected. Saudi Arabia has historically positioned itself to be a major force in the Middle East, often times rivaling Iran. This alliance between the Saudis and the U.S. has transitioned into a military alliance, the U.S.  has sold $55.6 billion dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia in 2018 alone.

The weapons the United States has sold to Saudi Arabia have been tied to war crimes throughout the Middle East, specifically in Yemen. The Yemeni civil war has spiraled into one of the worst humanitarian crisis in history. Saudi Arabia has been a major force in worsening this crisis. The U.S. resolution would be a major step in relieving the issues in Yemen, banning U.S. military aircraft from “providing in-flight fueling for non-U.S. aircraft conducting missions as part of the conflict in Yemen.”. Many believe this a major step forward to limiting conflict in the region, but still, wonder why it took the death of one U.S. citizen over millions of Yemeni deaths for the U.S. to become involved in the region.