challenge: What was a key factor that contributed to the Kennedy administration's pressure on Saudi Arabia to reform and address the issue of slavery?
  
  A. The US desire to expand its military presence in the region
  B. The influence of secular Middle East regional leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser and the newly decolonized African states
  C. The economic benefits of the slave trade to the US economy
  D. The need to counter the growing threat of piracy in the Red Sea
  Answer: 