These are uncomfortable days for Saudi Arabia's leadership and in particular for its all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS.
At home he remains popular, but internationally he has been unable to shake off the veil of suspicion for his alleged role in the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
And now a new US administration is preparing to move into the White House and President-elect Joe Biden has made it clear he will be taking a much tougher stance than his predecessor on certain Saudi positions.
So what are the issues at stake and why do they matter to those in power in Washington and Riyadh?
The Yemen war
This has been a disaster for almost everyone involved, but most of all for Yemen's own impoverished, malnourished population.
Saudi Arabia didn't start this conflict - the Houthis did when they marched on the capital Sanaa in late 2014 and overthrew the legitimate government. The Houthis are a tribal grouping from the mountainous north, and represent less than 15% of the country's population.