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It’s tempting to argue that the Strategic Defense Agreement (SDA) signed by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia during Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS)’s visit to Washington fell short of expectations by excluding an explicit security guarantee for the kingdom. After all, Qatar received such guarantees just two months ago in an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. How come Saudi Arabia, whom Trump said is as great an ally as Israel, didn’t get a similar deal?
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This is the wrong question to ask, and the wrong argument to make.
On paper, it’s true that the language in the Qatar executive order is stronger than the SDA (and candidly, stronger than in any other U.S. security arrangement with Middle Eastern partners minus Turkey, a NATO ally). But there is no real difference between the two.
I would even go as far as to say that had Trump and MBS signed a Senate-ratified formal defense pact that would legally obligate the U.S. to defend Saudi Arabia in the event of an external attack against it (à la NATO’s Article 5), there would still be no real difference.
That’s because both defense arrangements are much less significant if they don’t specify how the parties intend to upgrade their military ties. And in the case of the SDA, it’s vastly unclear how the U.S. and Saudi Arabia will translate their new defense vision into reality.
I don’t want to completely dismiss the SDA (or the Qatar executive order). It creates a new opportunity for U.S. and Saudi officials to upgrade their 80-year-old security partnership. But it’s now up to the national security bureaucracies and the militaries of both nations to develop the norms, habits, rules, laws, mechanisms, processes, and institutions for improved security cooperation and coordination—essentially the nuts and bolts of an enhanced defense relationship.
Notice how the SDA emphasizes the transactional sale of advanced U.S. military kit, including Abrams tanks and the highly-coveted fifth-generation F-35 jets, but barely mentions anything strategic in nature. This is typical of U.S. security policy toward Arab partners, where the focus is on equipment and less on joint security planning and coordination. It should be obvious by now that this hardware-centric approach has not produced Arab partners who are willing and able to contribute to collective security interests.
And this isn’t limited to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Kuwait, Egypt, and Bahrain are designated by the U.S. as major Non-NATO allies (Trump just added Saudi Arabia to that club). The UAE is even a Major Defense Partner of the U.S., a status only India enjoys in America’s global web of allies and partners. All these statues and privileges do is grant these countries access to better U.S. weapons and possibly expedite the sale of those weapons.
It’s a shame because the U.S. and its Arab partners are leaving so much on the table. Other U.S. partners do not enjoy these benefits or platinum-member statuses and yet have managed to have much closer and better functioning defense ties with Washington. Look at Indonesia, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Taiwan: they invest in the details of their security partnership with Washington.
To be sure, both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia stand to gain from deeper defense ties. For Saudi Arabia, a more robust defense arrangement with the U.S. is crucial for its security. Without that security, MBS cannot successfully pursue economic transformation at home, his country’s top priority.
For the U.S., the more regional partners can do on their own or ideally together to secure the region and put out fires, the more it can focus on other security challenges around the world. Given its size, wealth, political influence, and religious authority in the Arab and Muslim worlds, Saudi Arabia can play a potentially leading role in Washington’s regional security calculus.
Moreover, of all the necessary nuts and bolts to a security partnership, institutions may be the most vital. NATO is the most powerful military alliance in history not just because of its combined combat power but also because of its institutional closeness and cohesion. America’s treaty alliances with South Korea and Japan are rock-solid in large part because of these institutional (political and military) linkages. Saudi Arabia does not have anything resembling what Japan and South Korea enjoy with the U.S.
Domestic politics, historically negative public opinion toward Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom’s limited capacity certainly play a role in limiting the depth of security ties. But there is still plenty of room to work around these constraints. After all, the kingdom already has a strategic dialogue and a strategic joint planning committee with the U.S., so there is no reason why each, and especially the latter, cannot be further developed at both the civilian and military levels.
Without foundational changes in U.S.-Saudi and U.S.-Gulf security relations that emphasize closer institutional and military linkages (and not just equipment), no bilateral defense agreement will be as effective. Those agreements should be viewed as a means to an end, and not the other way around, with the end being a more capable Saudi Arabia and stronger military ties.
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Welcome back! One 93-year-old works out five days a week. She credits three essentials for feeling like she’s in her 50s.
On the agenda:
But first: What’s cooking?
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For many American families, there are five staples you’re almost sure to see on their Thanksgiving dinner tables: turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
And I know, I know, I’m leaving off a lot of yummy menu items. I can already hear you wondering, “Where’s the green beans?”
Business Insider has been testing, tasting, and serving up recipes to help readers finalize their Thanksgiving menus based on the most popular dishes.
In case you were head down in Q4 and missed them (relatable), here’s your cheat sheet to the ultimate Thanksgiving menu.
Turkey: There’s still time to order your bird online. Here are the best places to buy one — from organic to fried to smoked.
Macaroni and cheese: We tried Ina Garten’s overnight mac and cheese recipe, which features Gruyére and white cheddar. Yum!
Stuffing: One writer put four stuffing recipes to the test, and the favorite was the easiest to make. The recipe also called for fennel and apricot.
Sweet potatoes: Inside “Good Lookin’ Cookin’,” Dolly Parton’s new cookbook with her sister, Rachel Parton George, is a sweet potato recipe with a nutty twist. One BI reporter brought it to a friendsgiving, and it was gone within minutes.
Pumpkin pie: A writer put three different pie recipes to the test, and Bobby Flay’s came out on top thanks to a creamy, sweet topping.
Good luck in the kitchen! Or if all else fails, just order it up.
Kim Schewitz
BI’s Kim Schewitz has always struggled with waking up in the morning. She realized that starting her day in a constant fight or flight state left her feeling low energy, anxious, and a little disoriented.
Schewitz began her odyssey to become a morning person about a year ago. It wasn’t until after a recent trip, when she got the good kind of jet lag — going to bed early and waking up early — that she really started to notice a difference.
Yoga and long walks before work.
Getty Images; Rebecca Zisser/BI
Some Gen Zers are turning bland work trips into vacations by tacking on extra days at nice hotels and taking advantage of corporate rates.
Done right, it’s a nice way to earn extra credit card points, see a bucket-list destination, and maybe even get some quality time with a plus one. Done wrong, however, it’s a sure way to upset your coworkers.
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Tennis legend Novak Djokovic is still at the top of his game at 38. The 24-time Grand Slam champion continues to beat players who are more than 10 years younger than him.
Djokovic told Business Insider the lifestyle choices he thinks have kept him on the court, from his famously disciplined diet to prioritizing emotional health.
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Shared tables and communal dining are so back, and young people are driving the trend.
The practice of seating different groups of people at the same long, banquet-style tables has some notable perks post-pandemic. For one, it makes it a lot easier to talk to strangers.
saravuth-photohut/Getty, Tyler Le/BI
iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI
Laura Proctor for BI
The status symbol hoodie for teen girls
Gen Z and Gen Alpha girls are obsessed with a $90 pastel sweatshirt from Pink Palm Puff. For Katie Notopoulos’s “Well Spent” podcast, she spoke to Lily Balaisis, the clothing brand’s 17-year-old founder.
The BI Today team: Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.
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Easily popping the lid off a jar can mean you’ll live longer — but not for the reasons you think.
Great grip strength is regarded as a key indicator of longevity, with one 2019 study linking stronger grip strength with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive impairment.
The iron-gripped among us also experience day-to-day health benefits. “Those same people tend to have just better metabolism as well,” Sarah Crawford, a physical therapist and owner of Anchor Wellness in Cincinnati, told Business Insider. “So better blood sugar regulation, better hormonal balance, reduced inflammation.”
What do these people all have in common (besides giving firm handshakes)? Staying very active, she said. Grip strength is formed by building small muscles in the hands and forearms, which is harder to do than building larger muscles like your hamstrings or quadriceps.
“So if you’re keeping smaller, deeper muscles strong, you have to be keeping bigger muscles strong, too,” she said.
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This is why squeezing a stress ball throughout an otherwise sedentary day won’t do anything for grip strength.
“Grip strength is really a by-product of living an active lifestyle,” W. Zach Smith, a physical therapist and owner of HIDEF Physical Therapy in Seattle, told Business Insider. He compared it to a person’s walking speed, another sign of longevity: “It’s based on all of the things they do in their life to stay healthy.”
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The relationship to grip strength and strength training is fairly simple: grip strength is vital to progressing in pull-ups or heavy deadlifts, Crawford said. As you challenge yourself in those exercises, your grip strength improves over time.
Smith said popular exercises like bent-over rows, kettlebell swings, or sled pulls (where you hold a handle instead of tying the sled around your waist) all naturally build your grip strength because they involve pulling or carrying motions.
“Even rowing on a machine is going to take quite a bit of grip strength, having to pull,” he said.
Crawford said farmer’s carries — holding a heavy kettlebell in each hand and walking — “build grip endurance, shoulder stability, and core control all at once.”
Similar exercises, such as a suitcase carry (holding only one weight) or using a trap bar (a hexagonal barbell that you can grip on its sides), also boost grip strength, Smith said.
“Even a simple dead hang from a bar is a great grip-builder,” he said, which involves simply holding on to a pull-up bar for as long as you can.
If weight-training isn’t your thing, Smith said other workouts, like bouldering or gymnastics, also build your strength — including your grip.
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Because of the grip strength longevity buzz over the past few years, Smith has seen devices like hand grippers and squeeze balls become trendier.
With his own clients, he’s seen little success when using them without additional strength training in the mix. “Building grip strength for the sake of grip strength using grip trainers rarely works, and we have had many clients try,” he said.
However, if you’re already strength training, Crawford said it doesn’t hurt to do a few desk exercises in between Zoom meetings. The hand gripper “targets the primary muscles of the hand and forearm and can be used just about anywhere,” she said. She also recommended therapy putty, which comes in different resistance levels and “helps strengthen the smaller, intrinsic muscles of the hand that we often neglect.”
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You can also get creative in challenging your grip strength throughout the day. “If you’re parking further away in the grocery store parking lot and carrying your groceries out of the store instead of pushing them in a cart, that in and of itself will have an impact,” Crawford said.
Even fine motor tasks, like coloring with a pencil, add up over time. “Daily practices that are pretty easy to implement will positively impact grip strength,” she said — as long as you’re still hitting the gym.
Robert James Purkiss faces extradition to Kenya for alleged septic tank murder of Agnes Wanjiru near British Army training base
A former British soldier accused of murdering a Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank in 2012 has spoken publicly about the allegations, saying: “I do not believe I ever met her.”
Robert James Purkiss, 38, faces extradition to Kenya, where he is wanted for the alleged “brutal” murder of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki, a town near a British Army training camp.