Saudi Arabia's release of Loujain al-Hathloul an overture to Biden

Analysis: Mohammed bin Salman views the move as an attempt to engage the new US administration

As Loujain al-Hathloul marked her first day outside prison in nearly three years, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, was bracing for a reaction from Washington to what amounts to a peace offering on his part.

Prince Mohammed views the decision to release the women's rights activist as an attempt to belatedly engage the new administration, whose strident tone on human rights issues in its early weeks of office has all but conditioned a working relationship with Riyadh on righting the wrongs of the Trump years.