The British Prime Minister is many things. Depending on which side of the political spectrum you're on, she's either a trailblazing female politician set on reclaiming Britain's independent role in Europe, or just another callous, career orientated Conservative ill-suited to the challenges at hand.
One quality she does appear to possess, however, is a degree of honesty, particularly when it comes to Britain's controversial take on human rights and foreign trade.
Or does she? Immediately prior to a diplomatic visit to the Middle East, May caused stirs in the media by stressing the importance of Britain's relationship with Saudi Arabia, itself a state commonly viewed as an incessant violator of internationally recognised human rights.
To add further controversy, her own Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, suddenly broke ranks by openly questioning Saudi Arabia's role in the region, accusing it (and Iran) of engaging in proxy wars to the obvious detriment of the population.
May's perspective, however, is that such apparent trivialities are of secondary importance in the face of close economic ties, with the UK having a responsibility to remain open and inclusive of all those looking to do serious business. Much of May's argument seems to rely on the notion that one is better off in a state of dialogue than without.
Saudi Arabia, having been a staunch ally of the UK for some considerable time, is all the same notorious for its attitude towards many of the civil and political freedoms that British citizens take for granted. This apparent contradiction, so goes May's logic, actually has a sensibility of its own, where the British, by tried and tested methods of diplomacy, can gradually convince their ally of the merits of reform.
Close economic and political ties thus have the welcome effect of prompting a degree of cultural osmosis that will, at some presumed date in the future, lead to a paradigm shift in Saudi society and a greater respect for human rights overall.
The problem with this argument is that there simply doesn't appear to be any instances of such transformations taking root. The British relationship with Saudi Arabia goes back decades, even before the formal emergence of the country as a distinct political and territorial entity.
"There are absolutely no signs of Britain attempting to apply diplomatic pressure on an increasingly belligerent Riyadh, whether in terms of domestic policy or its increasingly dramatic foreign entanglements."
Ibn Saud, essentially the founder of the modern Saudi state, proved himself