Background of U.S./Saudi Alliance
Cold War
The U.S. began building its alliance with Saudi Arabia shortly after World War 2. In 1951, under a mutual defense agreement, the U.S. established a permanent U.S. Military Training Mission in the kingdom and agreed to provide training support in the use of weapons and other security-related services to the Saudi armed forces.This agreement formed the basis of what grew into a longstanding security relationship. The peak of the alliance was during the Cold War when the U.S. and Saudi Arabia were allied against a common foe: the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was the world's only other superpower besides the U.S., and the U.S. saw them as a threat. The U.S. was greatly concerned over the spread of communism and the growing Soviet influence across the world. While most of the Muslim world was pro-Soviet, the Saudis saw them as a rival oil producing nation (in fact in current times the Russians produce almost the same amount of oil as the Saudis) and as an "atheist" nation, something that Muslims look down on. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia became even closer following the 1979 Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia (along with Pakistan) worked together to assist the Islamic insurgents (some of which were Al Qaida) in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and both countries stood firm against revolutionary Iran. During these times the U.S. supplied the Saudis with almost an unlimited supply of weapons.
While Saudi Arabia seemed like a close ally during the cold war, there were times of significant tensions between the two countries. Countless times during the cold war, the Saudis closed down necessary American military bases during "calm times" to placate their people's anti-American sentiment, and to decrease the perception in the Arab world that the Saudis were "American stooges". Then without warning, the Saudis would ask the U.S. to resume its military presence once the kingdom felt threatened. This was a deep annoyance to the U.S. The biggest source of tensions between the two countries was the U.S. support for Israel during the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars. Shortly after the 1973 Yom Kippur war, Saudi Arabia participated in the Arab oil boycott of America. The U.S., shocked by the Saudi decision, went so far as to openly threaten to seize Saudi oil fields. The oil embargo showed both sides the limit of the "strategic partnership". Furthermore, the oil embargo lessened the U.S. dependence on oil, further decreasing the need for Saudi Arabia's precious commodity. During the 1970's and 1980's America's pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC, began lobbying the U.S. to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia on the grounds that they may be used against Israel. AIPAC succeeded in blocking the sale of F-15s. Saudi Arabia then began purchasing weapons from China, a rival of the U.S. The U.S. was enraged when they found out about the Saudi/Chinese weapons deals.
First Gulf War
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the weakening of Iran following the 8 year war with Iraq, one would have expected this to be the end of the U.S./Saudi alliance. But this was far from true. In 1990 Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened to invade Saudi Arabia as well. The Saudis and Americans, both scared of the potential outcome of the conflict, found a new common foe. The Saudis allowed America to use their country as a base to attack Iraq. Even after the war was over, the Saudis allowed American troops to stay on Saudi soil to protect the Kingdom from a future invasion, a move that angered Osama Bin Laden.
The 90's
Thoughout the 90's Saudi Arabia and America lacked a common foe. While Bin Laden was stepping up rhetoric against both countries, neither took him seriously. While the Saudis continued to allow American forces on their soil to protect the kingdom, the Saudis were, at the same time, providing monetary support to Islamist groups hostile to the U.S., including Al Qaida. The U.S. knew to a small extent the Saudi connection to al Qaida, but chose not to act on it.
9/11
The U.S./Saudi alliance, took a turn for the worst after 9/11. The U.S. found out that factions of the Saudi Arabian government had been secretly aiding the Islamist group responsible for the attacks, and it came out in the open that Saudi Arabia had not been cooperating with the U.S. on anti-terrorism measures. Furthermore, it angered the Americans that 15 out of the 19 hijackers were Saudi born. While Saudi Arabia full heartedly condemned the attacks, intelligence showed that factions of the Saudi Arabian government were continuing to be uncooperative on the war on terror. Americans began to see the Saudis as enemies. The perception was reciprocal. In 2002 the Saudis began a general boycott of American products and services. The Saudis only gradually began cooperating with America after the 9/11 attacks.
Current Situation: The Iranian Threat
The U.S./Saudi alliance seemed to be getting worse by the month following the 9/11 attacks, even after the Saudis were attacked by the same group in 2003. The two countries lacked a common foe, and mutual distrust existed between the two peoples. The U.S. withdrew its forces from Saudi Arabia following the toppling of Saddam Hussein, and the Saudis stopped trying to keep a lid on oil prices, which were soaring at the time. The U.S./Saudi alliance seemed to be at a dead end. Then came Iran.
Iran and the U.S. have had tensions for some time. But those tensions have escalated in recent months as Iran has continued to defy the West with its nuclear program, and spread its shiite influence across the middle east. At a time when Shiite/Sunni relations in the middle east are at an all time low, Sunni Saudi Arabia is very concerned about a nuclear Shiite Iran spreading its influence in the region.
Iran is currently meddling in Iraq's affairs through its proxy Moqtada al Sadr. The Mehdi army has launched uprisings against U.S. and British troops, has participated in anti-Sunni sectarian violence, and encouraged a boycott of the Iraqi government. Al-Sadr is helping Iran impose its type of government in Iraq, a government that would be very hostile to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, as well as to Iraq's Sunni minority. Saudi Arabia has seemed so worried about Iranian influence in Iraq that they have announced they will intervene in Iraq if the U.S. withdraws to prevent Iran from taking over. Saudi Arabia's security advisor was quoted "To turn a blind eye to the massacre of Iraqi Sunnis would be to abandon the principles upon which the kingdom was founded. It would undermine Saudi Arabia's credibility in the Sunni world and would be a capitulation to Iran's militarist actions in the region,".
Another source of tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran is Lebanon. Iranian meddling in Lebanon is a threat to both American and Saudi interests. The Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, has been doing everything in its power to meddle with Lebanon's fragile government. Lebanon's western-backed government is the most moderate in the Arab world, and Hezollah and Iran dont like it. In a first step to weaken and discredit the Lebanese government, the Iranian backed Hezbollah started a month long war with Israel which killed at least 850 Lebanese people (mostly civilians), and Hezbollah is currently trying to overthrow Seniora's government. In November 2006, Hezbollah ministers quit the Lebanese parliament and began street protests to demand Lebanon's Prime Minister step down and let Hezbollah take over Lebanon. Both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia expressed deep concern over these events. Saudi Arabia even made a rare condemnation of Hezbollah during the summer 2006 war with Israel. The Saudis would never take Israel's side on any issue unless they feared the influence of Israel's adversary.
With the growing influence of Shiite Iran, the U.S./Saudi alliance has begun to strengthen once again. The two countries have been cooperating on the political front against Iran's influence. The Saudis have vowed to help the Sunnis in Iraq against the Iranian backed Shiites. At the same time the Saudis, along with the U.S. are supporting Seniora's government in the face of Hezbollah's attempts to bring them down. Additionally, both the U.S. and the Saudis are backing Mahmoud Abbas over Iranian backed Hamas. Saudi Arabia is also backing U.S. attempts to stop Iran's nuclear program. Not since the first Gulf War have the U.S. and Saudi Arabia cooperated together on so many fronts. Saudi Arabia has gone back from an enemy to a strategic ally of the U.S. in just a few months. Now the U.S. has more leverage in persuading the Saudis to increase oil production to decrease oil prices and to back U.S. policies in the middle east. This all thanks to Iran. The U.S., however, should still keep its distance from Saudi Arabia because, as history has shown, once Saudi Arabia no longer needs our assistance, they will abandon us once again.
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