History Research
sawtma999
USandSaudiRelationship.docxTamim Altamimi
Professor
WW2 American foreign Policy
3/25/19
US and Saudi Relationship
US-Saudi Relations started In 1933, bilateral diplomatic relations began in full and distinct. Despite the differences between the two countries, Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and has very conservative Islamic teachings. Unlike the United States, it is a constitutional secular republic, but the two countries are allies. The main question is how did the relationship start between the two countries? As the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia grew slowly, World War II was at the beginning of its first phase, and the United States was deeply involved. US-Saudi relations didn't become the top priorities. This neglect left Saudi Arabia vulnerable to attack, causing a bombing of a California oil company Standard Oil in Dhahran. Which would hamper oil production in Saudi Arabia and this attack made King Abdul Aziz strive to find an external force to protect the country for fear of further attacks that are likely to stop the bases of Saudi strength and economy. So, the main thing that made the relationship is actually because of the oil, and after that it became stronger for other politic issues. What are the politic issues?
First is oil. As the Second World War progressed, the United States began to believe that Saudi oil was of strategic importance and as a result. On February 16, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that "defending Saudi Arabia is essential to the defense of the United States," making it possible to extend the Lend-Lease program to the Kingdom. After the Second World War in 1945, the United States was very concerned about the expansion of Soviet communism because of the beginning of the Cold War. It created an "containment" strategy to prevent its spread within the Arabian Peninsula, placing Saudi security at the top of Washington's list of priorities. America began to press for more control over the concession of the Arab California Standard Oil for the national security.
Over the years, the strength of the relationship has increased. Standard Oil has established Aramco, the Arab American Oil Company, which controls every oil well and barrel in the country. As oil flowed into the United States, American arms flowed into the kingdom. Between 1950 and 2017, the kingdom bought over $ 100 billion from the United States, making the kingdom the country's largest clientele. A relationship so strong that when the parties are in two different sides of an issue, the weapons continue to flow. For example, in 1973 and with the beginning of the October war, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel. The United States responded favorably to Israel, which Saudi Arabia opposed. The kingdom and its OPEC allies have responded by putting a ban on oil to cut production and have a big impact on the US economy. But there was no drop in arms sales.
King Faisal told the Beirut-based An-Nahar newspaper quoting excerpts from the book that America is strengthening Israel, making it reject peace, and that it is responsible for rectifying the situation. When it does not respond to this demand, Saudi Arabia will consider reducing oil production or freezing it from the perspective of its own abstract interests. When the Arab-Israeli War broke out in Ramadan in 1973, King Faisal put the Saudi Army ready to face the circumstances of the battle and sent an urgent message with Mr. Omar Al-Saqqaf, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on 14 Ramadan 1393 AH / 10 October 1973 to both Damascus and Cairo; Al-Saqqaf told the two brotherly countries that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands by its full potential alongside its Arab brothers. That was the strategy of foreign policy of Saudi Arabia with USA by using Oil. In an interview with the US television station NB C, conducted with King Faisal on 16 Jumada II (1393 - July 16, 1973), and broadcast on 7 Ramadan - October 4, King Faisal expressed his country's fear that the US policy to support Israel in its relations with the Kingdom Saudi Arab. "We do not want to impose any restrictions on our oil exports to the United States, but as I said, the United States, with its full support of Zionism against Arabs, makes it very difficult to continue to supply us with the needs of the United States," he said.
The relations between Saudi Arabia and America were interrupted during the reign of King Faisal in 1973. When he cut oil exports to the United States on the back of support for Israel. After that he was assassinated two years later (1975), then followed by King Khalid, who restored relations to normal. Since then, the relationship has continued well until the attacks of September 11, 2001, which is believed to be one of the reasons responsible for the rupture of relations between the two countries Despite the Kingdom's dedication to its war against terrorism and the provision of all kinds of intelligence cooperation to the United States, such cooperation remained confined to the executive branch. Saudi Arabia did not pay attention to the importance of judicial, legislative and civil society institutions. Saudi Arabia's adversaries to work on sticking the incident in Saudi Arabia, recently resulted in the Justa Act, which opened the door to speculation about the future of Saudi-American relations, after seventy years of partnership, in exchange for improved US-Iranian relations, which forces Riyadh to diversify its allies, Especially after the decline of US interest in the Arab region, and the trend towards China and the Pacific.
The second file is (security and the war on terrorism). Here it appeared the there are mutual benefits between the two countries. Which logically interpreted that The United States believes in protecting the Gulf region and the rest of the Kingdom from any international threat against it, as well as standing by the Kingdom in international forums and preventing Iran from possessing or manufacturing nuclear warheads. Unfortunately, instead of doing that America has contributed to the abolition of the international embargo on Iran and the prolongation of the war in the Gulf region. This has caused the Gulf to be beset by wars that may engulf it at any moment. This has caused Riyadh and some Gulf countries to seek more credible allies in securing the region.
