Frontline Season 11 Episode 12 The Arming of Saudi Arabia

The Frontline season 11 episode 12 titled "The Arming of Saudi Arabia" examines the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. The documentary follows how the US's military-industrial complex and Saudi Arabia's oil riches have enabled the two countries to strengthen their alliance.

The episode highlights how the US has been selling weapons to Saudi Arabia for decades, and how this trade, in turn, has allowed Saudi Arabia to become one of the most potent military forces in the Middle East. The episode presents the various reasons why the US has continued to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia despite the criticisms from human rights advocates across the world.

The Frontline's investigative team takes an in-depth look into the US's arms trade with Saudi Arabia and the devastating impacts of these weapons on civilians in Yemen. The documentary presents how the US's weapons sales have given Saudi Arabia the power to wage war in Yemen and create one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The documentary also reveals how the US Congress has granted Presidents a legal loophole to sell weapons to foreign countries using the emergency declaration clause. With this loophole, President Donald Trump overrode Congress's objections to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates by calling the weapons deal an emergency measure to counter the Iranian threat.

The episode features interviews with various experts, including scholars, politicians, and human rights activists, who present their take on the US's arms trade with Saudi Arabia. For instance, it focuses on the journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder in the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which caused the world to take notice of the kingdom's role in assassinations, repressions, and human rights violations.

Furthermore, the documentary highlights how the US's arms sales to Saudi Arabia have put the US against its own values and moral standards. It delves into the ethical grounds and practical issues that have arisen from the US's arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the damaging effects on the Middle East.

The episode concludes with the question of whether the US should continue to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries and how these arms sales conflict with the US's foreign policy objectives, strategic interests, and moral ethics.

Overall, the Frontline season 11 episode 12 provides an insightful analysis of the complex relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia and how America's moral values, national security, and economic interests are intertwined with weapons sales to foreign nations. The documentary offers an unbiased view of the dilemma that the US faces regarding its arms trade and the implications of such deals for the recipient countries and the world at large.