The Senate this month confirmed retired four-star Gen. John Abizaid in a 92-7 vote to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The posting in Riyadh is one of the most prestigious ambassadorships in the Middle East, but it also happens to be a position in dire need of a principled, tough American diplomat who will unapologetically protect and promote American interests first.

The U.S.-Saudi relationship, historically defined by a security-for-oil tradeoff, is in the midst of major turbulence. The Saudi monarchy, under the operational control of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been on a destructive spiral of foolish foreign misadventures and shoddy human rights practices at home (nothing new for that region of the world). Riyadh’s domestic policy is oppressive, and its foreign policy is reckless, tactless, and paranoid. The state-sponsored killing of Saudi journalist and U.S. permanent resident Jamal Khashoggi and the arrest and torture of dual U.S.-Saudi citizens in the kingdom have only added insult to injury.