Since the meeting between the founder of the Kingdom, King Abdul Aziz, and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, onboard the American cruiser USS Quincy in February 1945, the ties between the two countries have remained an important pillar in the regional scene.
Riyadh and Washington ties maintain the much-needed political, security and economic balance in the Middle East. In this historical context, one can better understand the recent visit of President Barack Obama to Riyadh. In addition to offering condolences over the demise of King Abdullah, the purpose of the visit was to ensure the smooth progression of this strategic alliance.
In a statement following the announcement of King Abdullah’s death, President Obama said, “The late great leader was always frank and bold in expressing his convictions. One of these convictions was his firm belief in the importance of US-Saudi relations as a force for preserving stability and security in the Middle East and outside.'”
The president added, “'the closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is a part of King Abdullah's legacy.'”
Why do Americans wonder a lot about the present state and the future of this relationship? Certainly Riyadh, since the World War II, has attracted the attention of Washington, which was in a hot confrontation with the then Soviet Union. Since then, Riyadh has played a crucial role in favor of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in general and Washington in particular.
How was that?
Undoubtedly, the flow of oil to the US at reasonable prices has been a huge supporting factor to Washington to ensure its freedom of movement and expansion of its maneuvers to impose its political and economic sanctions on countries allied to Moscow. It was this factor that strengthened the position of Saudi Arabia more than ever in the past. Thus, the importance of Saudi oil grew partly on political and methodological foundations imposed by the international situation prevailing at the time.
The recent visit of the high-level US delegation indicates that Riyadh is still the most important ally in the Middle East for Washington in the current American political thinking.
Despite differences on various issues, the Kingdom has played a strategic role in the region. It was the author of the vision adopted by the Beirut Arab Summit of 2002 to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Riyadh also serves as a fortress against terrorism and and it has also proved successful in warding off state to warding off the storms of the so-called Arab Spring.
Does Washington see in Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman a balancing factor for his nation and the Arab states around it?
Look at what has been written by Bruce Riedel, who served in the CIA over three decades, and saw the new king possessing vast experience in governance, with a vision for reforms, blending between reality and the capability to maintain the delicate equilibrium between the social and religious heritage of the Kingdom and the requirements of the age, namely between tradition and modernity. A US presidential visit is not void of the pragmatic vision familiar in American politics which is two-pronged: Firstly, strengthening the role of the Kingdom in the Arab world and the region, especially when Riyadh today is the main gateway to counter the attacks of terrorist organizations, which are using a skewed interpretation of Islam to promote their selfish agendas. If left to thrive, groups like the self-ascribed Islamic State (IS) will wreak havoc on the region and will undoubtedly threaten the security of Israel. The other thing is the Saudi oil in particular and the Gulf oil in general. The Kingdom is a member of the bloc that controls 40 percent of the world's oil resources. Despite all the rumors about the shale oil boom in the United States, the indisputable fact remains that the oil reserves of the Kingdom, Kuwait and the UAE is about 460 billion barrels while the United States’ reserves are estimated at 10 billion barrels as evident in the reports of US Energy Information Agency referred to by the Atlantic magazine in its recent issue. Washington does not underestimate the importance of the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia as its spearhead to the outside world, due to its strategic position.
Here reflects the strategic weight of the Kingdom in the new game of the US balancing with China, the dragon thirsty for oil and relentless expansion, further to the Russian bear that has turned to a lithe fox under Putin, seeking to significantly strengthen its relations with the GCC countries.
