Could the Saudi’s “Soft Ambassador” Reema Whitewash MBS’s Image in Washington?

The name of Princess Reema bint Bandar has emerged strongly on the Saudi foreign diplomacy table in recent years, especially since her appointment as the Kingdom's ambassador to the United States of America.

The role of the princess was not limited to the customary diplomatic tasks, but went beyond it to "side" tasks assigned to her by the royal palace, specifically Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Reema’s appointment to her position came after the failure of all bin Salman’s propaganda campaigns. In fact, when bin Salman ordered the journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be killed inside the Saudi’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, the crown prince’s global reputation was torn. Moreover, his name became associated with human rights violations, bloodshed, and murder.

Relying on "soft tools", he chose Princess Reema, who is leading a fierce advertising campaign in the United States, to save his reputation and to whitewash his image.

 

Diplomacy in the USA

On June 10, 2021, the American "Bloomberg" agency published a report on Princess Reema's activity inside the United States, to whitewash the image of her country and Crown Prince bin Salman.

The US agency stated, "The princess organized field tours in several states to participate in community activities and discuss the social reforms that Saudi Arabia has been working on since the young crown prince came to power."

It said, "The Saudi princess is promoting the progress the kingdom has made in the field of human rights and promoting strong economic relations between Washington and Riyadh, under the leadership of MBS."

It is reported that a few months after Princess Reema took office in Washington in early 2019, she hired Larson Shannahan Slifka, a prominent lobby group in the United States.

Riyadh, with the Larson Group, developed a plan of action targeting state leaders and local officials in the United States, by organizing events and meetings for Princess Reema and other high-ranking officials from the Kingdom, to improve the image of the Crown Prince in the public opinion.

On June 11, 2021, the "Washington Post" newspaper reported that,”American relations companies are taking on the task of whitewashing Bin Salman's image in the world."

It reported that, "attempts to save Bin Salman’s reputation coincide with US President Joe Biden's efforts to pressure countries to endorse freedom of expression. Those attempts are being undermined by Washington."

 

Fierce Defender

Princess Reema is known for her fierce defense of bin Salman, and what she called his "reform vision", in many international situations, forums and media meetings.

During an interview with the American “Politco” magazine on October 31, 2019, when asked about the Crown Prince’s relationship with the killing of journalist Khashakggi, she said: “Prince Muhammad did not commit the crime, I spent time with him and he convinced me that was not his orders. He was not involved in the tragedy, that could destroy everything he dreamed of. I can't imagine he asked for something like that."

She added: "I knew Khashoggi, his killing was a tragedy for me in a personnel level. I was crying for the loss of this man's life, and I was crying what we can describe as the end of our vision."

With regard to women's rights, and accusing bin Salman of restricting their freedoms. She stated that "the imprisonment of activists who demanded the right of women to drive a car is deeply understood by the West although number of those who were arrested were released, but I believe that the activists broke the law when they publicly campaigned."

On June 24, 2020, the Chairman of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, sent a letter to Ambassador Reema, which included a warning about the Saudi activist, Loujain Al-Hathloul.

In his message, reported by CNN, Schiff expressed his concern about the continued detention of activist Al-Hathloul. Then, she has been released on February 12, 2021.

Reema was known for her critical opinions and stances on the ideological nature of her society in terms of determining women's dress.

She previously said in one of the women's gatherings: "Everyone wants to paint us with one brush, showing us with a full cover that only shows the eyes, and what I want to make clear is that the choice of those women should be respected. As much as any woman who looks like me, and as much as any woman who appears different."

The Princess Emergence

Princess Reema bent Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, born in Riyadh in 1975, studied in the field of museum studies and archeology, to obtain a bachelor's degree from George Washington University in 1999.

In 2012, Reema married Faisal bin Turki, and she has a son and a daughter.

She is the first woman to hold the position of ambassador in the history of the Kingdom. She became Riyadh's ambassador to Washington on February 23, 2019. She gained great confidence from bin Salman, who held her responsible for this "sensitive mission" in the Saudi diplomatic corps.

It is reported that her father, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, also served as the Kingdom's former ambassador to the United States, as well as the former head of Saudi intelligence, which made her follow the same path.

Prior to her appointment to her current position, Reema held the position of Chief Executive Officer for years at Alpha International, one of the largest national companies specialized in the field of fashion.

In September 2014, as result of the royal palace's interest in her, she was selected in the Forbes Middle East magazine's list of the 200 most powerful Arab women.

In 2016, a decision was made by the Council of Ministers appointing her as deputy head of the General Sports Authority for the women's section.

One of the most prominent indications of the ambassador's influence is her election in July 2020, as a member of the International Olympic Committee, to become a representative of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world in the International Sports Organization, in addition to being an ambassador.

Thus, Reema became the third person to represent her country in the International Olympic Committee, after Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, who was a member of the Committee between 1983 and 1999, and Prince Nawaf bin Faisal bin Fahd from 2002 to 2014.