Saudi Arabia Going Its Own Way

Nawaf Obeid:

For more than 60 years, Saudi Arabia has been bound by an unwritten bargain: oil for security. Riyadh has often protested but ultimately acquiesced to what it saw as misguided U.S. policies. But American missteps in the region since Sept. 11, an ill-conceived response to the Arab protest movements and an unconscionable refusal to hold Israel accountable for its illegal settlement building have brought this arrangement to an end

It’s an important piece to read to understand the Saudi point of view. The problem is that Saudi strategists don’t have a track record to speak of, and risk acting in a reactionary and impetuous way. Ironically, this is the way in which George W. Bush behaved and prompted the Saudis to abandon their historic caution.