Does the US still need Saudi Arabia?
It's been a rough year for the seven-decade-old alliance between the US and Saudi Arabia, from Riyadh's fury over the nuclear deal with Iran, President Barack Obama's comments about free-riding allies, to the Saudi threat to sell off $750bn (£523bn) in US treasury bonds and front page headlines decrying the Saudis as "Royal Scum".
Now, the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince is coming to the US with a different message - you may not like us or need our oil as much anymore, but the kingdom is one big investment opportunity.
Mohamed bin Salman, the brash, ambitious and powerful 30-year-old son of the king will be pitching the idea of a deeper economic engagement between the two countries and taking the unusual step of setting an agenda beyond talks in Washington with administration officials.
He is planning meetings on Wall Street in New York, and in Silicon Valley, California, in an attempt to attract investment, as his country's economy reels from the slump in oil prices.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36495730
