Jazeera. Ah, im tom mcbryan, doha. These are the top stories on al jazeera, georgia, maloney has been sworn in italys new Prime Minister, the 1st woman to hold the post. Shes also leading at least 1st far right government since the 2nd world war. While its a major victory for maloneys party, critics, i her hardline policies dont allow for and inclusive italy. Were harding reports. Italy has sworn in its 1st female Prime Minister. Youll said about a little man. I was in sooner lit georgia, maloney now leads the 1st the far right government since the end of the 2nd world war. The easiest way for europeans to understand are people around the world to understand whats going on in italy. Is think of what would happen if maureen le pen became president of georgia. Maloney is known for her conservative views, centered around religion, the homeland and family he. Alas i me. Yeah. Not godaddy. No, i dont lobby yes to the natural family, nor to the algae b. T lobby. Yes. To Sexual Identity . No to gender ideology, no to islamist violence. Yes, to secure borders, no to mass migration, no to Big International finance . No to the bureaucrats of brussels. Maloneys brothers of italy party has fascists, routes linked directly to former leader benito mussolini. The real problem is natural match. Their passions we have fallen is the competence that she will rank together because she has no experience of knowing anything handler. She is she surrounded by people in their party that left a bottle, particularly relevant skills, relevant skills that are needed to dig italy out of a looming recession. Inflation rates are at an all time high. As is the cost of living. Really diary economics to as she gets maloney very little room for radical change. But essentially this is of a trifle form. I dont mean more than i be truthful for technician maloney supporters say she can help improve the market. While critics fear her policies will only push europe further to the right, the 1st signs have not been good. And if and the maloney will be does she let her id ology from the far right . Express itself in that hard. Right . Or does she follow the safe and narrow path right now . Italy enters uncertainty. Walters. Analysts say many of those who voted for maloney are not right wing, but supported her in the hopes she can spark change. Leah harding al jazeera for me, you k Prime MinisterBarak Johnson is expected to join the rice to get back his old job. Former chancellor, she sumac is also expected to be a contender. Cabinet minister penny more than declared her candidacy on friday. Iran has rejected accusations that supplying russia with drones to use against ukraine. The u. S. And others believe the kremlin is using iranian ne drones to attack cave, as well as Energy Facilities across the country. Thats not a gun database yard act. Youre sort of africa when the leaders of other countries meet with me. They asked me what around sell it, military equipment to them. Previously you give around nothing but barbs, and now youre asking for runs military equipment. I tell them why dont you buy it from other countries. Its available everywhere. But in response, they say theyve heard around military equipment is so advanced and unique incentives, ukrainian forces, say russia could be preparing to abandon her on his key counter offensive intensifies. You kind says it has retaken a t i towns and villages in the region with Chinas Communist Party has approved and amendment of its charter that could give more power to president. She should ping on sunday. The governing party is expected to confirm. She is party chief for an unprecedented 3rd term. The Un Security Council has voted to sanction a haitian gang leda, accused of attacks against civilians. Jimmy shares here is a former policeman who has been linked to widespread rights violations. The counsel adopted a resolution to sanction any one who threatens the security and stability of haiti. Bows out of the headlines, the news continues here on al jazeera after the bottom line up next. Ah hi, im Steve Clements and i have a question. Why is President Biden threatening to rethink relations with saudi arabia . Lets get to the bottom line. Ah, opec set off a firestorm in washington when it decided to slash Global Oil Production by 2000000 barrels a day earlier this month. The white house took it as an act of aggression by saudi arabia. President joe biden said there would be quote, consequences for what theyve done with russia. And the national Security Council said its reviewing the entire future of relations between saudi and the us. Democrats in congress, reacted with even more fury with some leading senators, demanding that the u. S. Immediately fries all aspects of cooperation with saudi arabia. Meanwhile, saudi arabia denied collaborating with russia to raise the price of oil right before americans head to the poles in their mid term elections. And saudi officials had been fighting back, saying that politics had nothing to do with the decision. So is washington over reacting is react over reaching, or is saudi arabia, like many other countries around the world. Recalibrating who its friends and allies in the world are slowly drifting away from the u. S. And warming up to russia and china. Today were talking with allie, she hobby, a saudi commentator and former head of the arabia, foundation washington, d. C. Hes the author of the saudi kingdom between the g hottie hammer and the iranian anvil. And daniel plaque, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise institute, where she focuses on u. S. Foreign policy towards the middle east. Thank you both for joining me alley. Let me to start out with you right now. It is rare that weve seen a Foreign Policy tizzy of the sort that weve seen after the decision by opec to cut 2000000. 00 barrels of barrels of oil a day and a lot of anger at the saudis. Because there was this notion that there had been a deal after President Biden strip. Tell us, from your perspective, what just went down. Well, its a horrible misunderstanding, really, because yes, there was a deal. There was an understanding that saudi arabia would do its best to stop or you going to 200. 00. 2 and in effect, they did that by incrementally increasing production over the summer. So the saudi understanding was that our job is to make sure, and its also in saudi interest to make sure that the price of oil does not get into the ridiculous a ridiculous level that has multiple negative impacts on everybody, concerned producers and consumers. But that did not mean that saudi arabia cannot protect the price of its primary commodity, which it lives on and allow it to fall. And i think thats where the misunderstanding came in, because when you know, im co and the saudi oil authorities and opec started to see demand destruction, and the recession coming up and the need to reduce production to keep the price where it was really air. That is what they did and markets have proven them to be right. I mean, the price did not shoot up. In fact, its dropped a little bit, but it stayed there on the 90. 00. But so, you know, if youre a believer markets, and i think america. 2 taught us all to believe in markets are markets spoke really and, and the confirm the wisdom of the saudi decision. Well, i want to jump to to, to danny minute, but have been on, on the issue, the price value of other factors in place. You have, you know, that game of thrones line winter is coming, is out there. You also have a russian weapon, ization of energy cutting off supplies of gas and, and fuel to, to many european nations. So you have other factors that have driven that price of fuel in energy up, you have protests around the country. So at what point do the saudis think us a price is sustainable for them versus say, Eastern Europe . No look, the saudi and opec approach is to try and keep the price in the 9200 dollar range that serves everybodys interests, including the u. S. Channel industry, which needs that price to invest. Now, if things, again, this is a dynamic process, so nothing is carved in steel. If in the next couple of months, you know, the market turns demand increases, china stops, its long, its corporate policies, then the opec will react. And and sundry has said that it is not going to allow prices to shoot up, but at the same time, its not going to allow prices to collapse. And i mean, the kingdom lives on the price of oil. Its so much more important for it than it is for anybody else, let alone america, which is a, you know, and net exporter itself. So thats where people are so surprised by the reaction real daniel plaque. And i basically was taught essentially, that saudi arabia was americas ally in the closet. We didnt talk about it a lot. It was sort of there. We kind of turned a blind eye to human rights issues now. And then because at the end of the day to back stop american Foreign Policy around the world, saudi arabia would help with pakistan, would help here help there. And so there was a structural bit of the relationship that was deep beneath what we could see above. And im just wondering whether, as you look at whats begun to unfold, is that coming undone and is it good that its coming undone . Well, i think that the idea behind what youre talking about is coming undone. This notion that there is a compact between the United States and saudi arabia. We underwrite your security, you underwrite our Energy Security and then you know, we just all pretend to be best friends and look away when, when you misbehave on, on the human rights front or on the religious front or on the support for terrorism from which was a very long and problematic period, but the realities of the relationship havent changed at all. You know, is it, its merely the mythology that surrounds the relationship that has changed the realities. Are we by energy, saudi arabias cells, energy. And thats not going to change for a long time. The other factor here is, you know, we look at the neighborhood, right . Who are we choosing among exactly here . You know that we prefer the iranians. The saudis have have been the most important country in the gulf region for a very long time. Theyve been important to us. Iran is not going to supplant them. Notwithstanding the hopes of people from the Obama Administration or re treads of the Obama Administration and divide an administration. And so, you know, we can talk about how they let us down are they lied to us. We can talk about how we wish that they behave better and didnt murder dissidence in their consulates. But thats not going to alter the fundamental realities of the relationship. You just mentioned iran, danny, and one of the things that i was able to break a very minor story that became big on twitter was that the United States was canceling a u. S. G c. C meeting was an integrated working group on integrated air and Missile Defense focus on iran was scheduled for october 17th, and us officials were not going to show up to that. I found the word that had been cancelled the white house later said, oh, its not been cancelled. Were just eventually going to postpone it. But part of this is the dynamic of how iran is seeing this tension in the gcc and tension, particularly between Saudi Arabian, the United States. From your perspective is this, you know, frustration that joe biden is now expressing a lot of particularly Democratic Senators and members of congress. Is iran just enjoying the show . Well, you know, again if we have the problem in washington dc of pretending to ourselves that everything is a bilateral. Busy conversation, you know, saudi arabia youve disappointed us for the last time, and therefore, were not going to come to this, this important defense conference. It run, youre busy murdering men, women and children wantonly in the streets and, and, and, but what else are you do you . What does that does that area . What does matt about the oil and gas . We still are mad at you. We run about to really go Nuclear Program and, and youre terrorism and, and your failure to come to come back to the j. C p. O. A with us. This is, this is Foreign Policy as if its high school. Unfortunately, and Foreign Policy isnt high school. We it would be wonderful if we were surrounded by only the best people who did only the nicest things that is not the reality of the world and the brighten administrations willingness to sort of it to, to try to constantly course correct based on who was nice to me yesterday is an extraordinarily dangerous thing to do because as you say to you correctly, the iranians read this, but its not just the iranians, the russians read. This is fell, these rallies, read this and all. 7 them make decisions based on how they believe the most important country in the world. The most important leader in the world is going to act on any given day alley. Lets listen to President Biden for a moment. We have a short clip. It is a disappointment and says that there are a problem. So weve had a president ial statement alley, she hobby, that there are problems is not like saying this is, you know, that this has to be dealt with. And weve had a folks around no had been so long the crown prince of south salary, but we, you know, all referred to him as m b. S. And you know, these folks, they to have said, hey, if america saying their problems, there can be problems. How do you know, how do we gone from the fist bump up from m b, as in joe biden, meeting in saudi arabia recently to where were at now, and what are your observations of the equities that are in danger . Well look, i think there was a mistake in the thinking behind the visit of President Biden. To jetta i it was an important visit. It was good. It happened. But i think he took so much political flack from his left that he felt that he had to come to jetta and make statements. So, you know, from the fist bombed to his press conference right after the meeting, he threw a bit of cold water on what could have been a complete receptor. Now, that did create a bit of bad blood, but still not enough to make soggy. Ravia consciously want to play in domestic american politics, which is what the democrats think is happening now. I mean, the democrats think that this decision had something to do with upcoming elections. And as you know, the saudi government came up and said that, you know, there was a request to delay the opec meeting till after the election. Now, you know, sat you radio doesnt want to get involved in american domestic politics. And frankly, the republicans have also been warmer to saudi arabia than the democrats over the years. So why on earth with saudi arabia, you know, do get, get into a trap like that. But still, so they didnt, you know, they lay an important meeting or to accommodate u. S. Domestic political requirements. Now the might ministration got very upset about that, but i think it was unwise of them to expect that and, and that has created, you know, unfortunate about blood. And what that does is it just confirms to saudi leaders, the wisdom of the policy that theyve been pursuing, and the last few years to diversify their strategic partnerships. Because you have to remember in 2020 sa, greg got into an oil war with russia. And the increased production and the price of oil was brought down to below 0 and american politicians from congress to governors to the president went ballistic. And they threatened to withdraw the so called, you know, protection and arms deliveries. And they encourage saudi arabia to go back and cooperate with the russians. And in effect, thats what happened. And a price of oil brought back up. So on one side, you have the american ministration, asking you to cooperate with russia. On the other side, theyre asking you to break off with russia because an invasion of ukraine. Now, you know, this is the strategic relationship for saudi arabia. Its not in this because they like russia or dislike russia. Its in it because russia is the 2nd largest producer of oil on earth and to manage the market, they need to coordinate with the russians. Its as simple as that. And whether mr. Walton is in power or not, that will continue when we now know, or were told any way that the u. S. Government asks saudi arabia did to delay this decision by a month and that was not done. Do i mean that to me i get, get you back into what, what danny just said is maybe we need to take the fig leaf off this relationship and just real realized, its going to be far more transactional than it had been in the past. Maybe was transactional in the past, but there was a predictability in that, that made when we dont have anymore history to this all. So theres over a decade now of american politicians saying we are exiting the region. Were losing interest in the region. We are. 1 pivoting to asia, so you know, if, if your best friend keeps on telling you that, you know, he doesnt want to be your best friend anymore. Its going to impact the way you look at it. So yes, a has been building relations with china with russia, but also with the u. K. In with france and with brazil and with south africa, the South African president is in the kingdom at the and theyre talking military. 1 procurement from south africa. So theyre opening up strategic relationships with multi part because a monogamous relationship with america given the american political system. But its not something that any country can rely on re, danny, what would you be advising the Joe Biden Team to do right now . That its not doing a very generous of you and thank you for the compliment. They look into the Joe Biden Team, isnt necessarily going to take advice from me. But i think there are plenty of people who are saying the same thing. You know, you cannot, you cannot tried to play these games in the middle east. I think the one p