In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sports celebrities, the recent American diplomatic overtures to Saudi Arabia, and the connection between the two.

Among the topics covered:

Recent sports and diplomatic deals with Saudi Arabia;

Sports celebrities accepting lavish salaries from the Saudi government;

An ominous proposal to strengthen U.S.-Saudi relations;

The authoritarianism nature of the Saudi regime;

The moral sanction Saudi Arabia seeks by investing in sports;

The lack of a coherent U.S. foreign policy toward Saudi Arabia;

What the Saudis want through these sports and diplomatic deals;

Whether accepting lucrative salaries from the Saudi regime is self-interested;

The “realist” foreign policy case for closer ties with Saudi Arabia;

Whether bringing in sports celebrities supports positive social change for Saudi Arabia;

Judging the moral status and direction of a country or a leader objectively.

Mentioned in this podcast are Elan’s Journo’s articles “Whitewashing a ‘Pariah’ State: Biden’s Visit to Saudi Arabia,” "Biden’s Visit to Saudi Arabia Is an Affront to American Values,” “Why Trump Should Disrupt the Scandalous US-Saudi Relationship," Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the New Ideal Live podcast “How the Qatar World Cup Abets Authoritarian ‘Sportswashing’' with Agustina Vergara-Cid and Nikos Sotirakopoulos. Also suggested is the entry on self-interest in the Ayn Rand Lexicon.

The podcast was recorded on October 4, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJS2kulBcK8

Podcast audio: