''The Decaying Relationship between Washington and Riyadh''

Power and Interest News Report (PINR)
Reprinted with express approval from http://www.pinr.com

(PINR) -- As British influence began to wane in the Middle East during the 20th century, it was supplanted by U.S. influence. Due to the massive quantities of oil on the Saudi peninsula, in addition to other strategic reasons, the United States began to increase and strengthen its ties with Saudi Arabia. In 1951, an agreement between the two countries paved the way for the first U.S. military airbase located in the city of Dhahran. This new relationship proved beneficial for both the Saudis and the Americans, as Saudi leaders wanted to modernize their country with the help of U.S. companies who were only too ready to provide assistance.

This cooperation continued until it peaked with the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. The revolution in Iran, coupled with other developments in the region such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, made it very difficult for the Saudi leadership to openly continue their Western leanings. The success of radicals preaching Islamic values in, primarily, Iran and Afghanistan put pressure on the leaders of Saudi Arabia, such as King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz, to support more Islamic traditions, and to increase the distance between Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia, and Western countries.

This new paradigm put the Saudi leadership in a difficult position since, on the one hand, the leadership relied on the United States for its external protection, but, on the other hand, its reliance deeply angered its domestic and regional population who saw this reliance on the West as unacceptable.

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