Washington-Riyadh relations blooming

During the past seven decades or so, shared economic and security interests have been the dominant factors in the Saudi-United States bilateral relationships. Successive US Administrations have defined the Saudi government as an important economic and security partner. Despite challenges, including the 1973 oil embargo and 9/11 terrorist attacks, the relationship between the two nations have been warm and expanding. While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs US military protection, the US wants uninterrupted supply of Saudi oil.

Saudi Arabia was the second largest trading partner of the US in the Middle East in 2019. The total US imports from Saudi Arabia amounted to $13.4 billion.  It is the second leading source of imported oil for the United States. On the other hand, the US usually exports weaponries, machinery, and vehicles to Saudi Arabia. Indeed, Saudi government is wholly dependent on continued US weapon supply and military advisory assistance.

As a long-term strategic partner, Saudi Arabia is the United States' largest foreign military sales (FMS) client, exceeding $100 billion.  Through the FMS, the US continues to support three important security establishments in Saudi Arabia i.e., the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior and the National Guard. Since the early 1950s, the US has been playing an important role in building military and civilian structures in Saudi Arabia. Presently, several US companies are functioning to ensure the success of Saudi ambitious Vision 2030 plan.

The US also continues to build up cultural and educational ties with Saudi Arabia. At present, more than 55,000 students from Saudi Arabia are pursuing higher studies in the US. Under the International Visitor Leadership Programme and other exchange packages, a lot of promising youths also visit the United States.

TRACING THE PAST:  The US recognised Saudi Arabia in May 1931. The first encounter with Saudi Arabia commenced with the launching of Arabian-American Oil Company (Aramco) in 1933 under a Concession Agreement among Saudi Arabia, the Standard Oil Company of California (SOCAL) and the Texas Oil Company (Texaco). Diplomatic relations were established on February 4, 1940.

Cut off from trade and proceeds from the annual Hajj by World War II,    Saudi Arabia had turned to US for economic assistance. In October 1943, an agreement was concluded under which 5.167 million ounces of US Treasury silver would be lent to the Saudi government. The King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia had "promised to return the silver ounce for ounce within five years after the end of the war."

President Franklin D Roosevelt and his administration had recognised that oil will be very vital for US in the future. While extending military and economic support to Saudi Arabia, he affirmed that "the defence of Saudi Arabia is vital to the defence of the United States."

On February 14, 1945, President Roosevelt had a historic meeting and dialogue with Saudi King Ibn Saud aboard a US Navy destroyer in the Suez Canal. Roosevelt had two main objectives: (a) resolving the Palestinian-Jewish problem, and (b) securing a productive post-war relationship with Saudi Arabia, including, crucially, access to its oil reserves. While Roosevelt and Ibn Saud agreed that the US would provide Saudi Arabia military and economic assistance in exchange for access to oil, they did not see eye to eye on the issue of homeland for the Europe's Holocaust survivors -- a commitment made by Roosevelt during his election campaign. As soon as Roosevelt raised the problem and their aspiration for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, the response from the King was immediate: "Give them and their descendants the choicest lands and homes of the Germans who had oppressed them."

Roosevelt contended that few of them would desire to live in Germany. Unconvinced, the king said: "Make the enemy and the oppressor pay; that is how we Arabs wage war. Amends should be made by the criminal, not by the innocent bystander." Roosevelt assured that he "would never do anything which might prove hostile to the Arabs and (that) the US Government would make no change in its basic policy in Palestine without full and prior consultation with both Jews and Arabs."

Thus, the foundations of an economic and security relationship between the two countries established 75 years ago by Roosevelt and Ibn Saud has not only endured to this day, but also flourished over the years.

BURGEONING RELATIONSHIP IN THE TRUMP-SALMAN ERA: In the past, a critic of Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump these days has engaged himself in bolstering bilateral relations. In fact, defending Saudi Arabia openly remains a consistent foreign policy of President Trump. This is confirmed by the fact that most of the bills vetoed by him  were related to Congressional attempts to censure the Kingdom. To illustrate, in April 2019, Trump vetoed a bipartisan resolution of Congress that invoked its war power authority and called to end US involvement in the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen's civil war. Again in July, he vetoed Congressional resolution intended to prevent him from selling billions of dollars of armaments to the Saudis.

Not surprisingly, Trump undertook his first international trip as President to Riyadh. He unveiled there a "counter-terrorism" centre controlled by the Saudi government and assured continuation of defence sales and cooperation. In March 2017, and again in March 2018, President Trump received Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at White House reiterating his commitment to Saudi Arabia. He demonstrated pictures of military aircrafts and equipment valued $12.5 billion which the US decided to sell to Saudi Arabia.

Trump also supported the Crown Prince Salman's Qatar embargo, because of its close camaraderie with Iran. He regularly recognises the kingdom as the most important buyer of US weaponries and a valuable partner to the mutual goal of confronting Iran. The murder of Saudi dissident, The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate was also overlooked by Trump.

Also worth noting, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner has cultivated personal relationship with the Saudi royal family and in particular with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The US and Saudi Arabia have common interest in preserving stability, security, and the wealth of the Gulf region. President Trump, like his predecessors, has continuously placed top priority on the US-Saudi economic and security relations. In response to Saudi needs, in September 2019, Trump approved additional military personnel and resources to reinforce Saudi Arabia's air and missile defence system and to deal with any future attacks on its oil facilities and other infrastructure.

The Saudi government had agreed to fund all deployment including operational costs. Currently, an estimated 2,500 US military personnel are stationed in the country. Notably, the Kingdom also funded billions of dollars to offset huge costs of US-led coalition forces to oust Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991.

The 75th anniversary of "enduring relationship" between the United States and Saudi Arabia was celebrated at a ceremony in Jeddah on February 16, 2020. Based on mutual interests and growing business ties, undoubtedly, the US-Saudi Arabia relation is at its historical best right now.

Analyst Oubai Shabandar, a former Pentagon official has aptly commented that the two nations have succeeded to challenge a number of impediments in their bilateral relations in the past since "it is a relationship that has been anchored on common security interests and personal bonds between leaders."

However, critics such as Edward Luce defined the rapidly increasing relationship with Riyadh as "the decay of the US-led order" and observed, Trump's course of foreign relations is a "blend of family and money and a weakness for flattery."

Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed is a former Professor and Chairman of Department of Political Science at the University of Dhaka.

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