Posted on Jan 12, 2023
Security underpins U.S. ties with Gulf states like Saudi Arabia. But tensions linger
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https://www.npr.org/2023/01/12/ [login to see] /saudi-arabia-gulf-nations-us-relations
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the United States is looking internationally to partners to weaken Russia's influence. It's also seeking to blunt China's growing reach.
In the Mideast, President Joe Biden has reached out to Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in an attempt to align interests. While visiting Saudi Arabia last summer, he tried to reassure Arab leaders of U.S. commitment to the region's security. But Gulf nations aren't rushing to side with Washington.
Here's a look at key issues affecting U.S.-Gulf ties into 2023.
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the United States is looking internationally to partners to weaken Russia's influence. It's also seeking to blunt China's growing reach.
In the Mideast, President Joe Biden has reached out to Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in an attempt to align interests. While visiting Saudi Arabia last summer, he tried to reassure Arab leaders of U.S. commitment to the region's security. But Gulf nations aren't rushing to side with Washington.
Here's a look at key issues affecting U.S.-Gulf ties into 2023.
Security underpins U.S. ties with Gulf states like Saudi Arabia. But tensions linger
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The U.S. remains an irreplaceable security partner
For decades, U.S.-Gulf ties have centered most closely around security. The U.S. maintains an airbase in Qatar that's been used in the fight against Islamic State militants. The Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, patrols the Persian Gulf to deter Iran.
Despite whopping arms sales, joint military exercises with Gulf Arab states and a strong U.S. military presence in the region, there's "mistrust" and a sense in the Gulf that the U.S. hasn't been a consistent security partner since the Obama administration, Elfakhro says.
That mistrust stems from the now-tattered international accord which had curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions. Gulf states and Israel say the deal was flawed and did not curb Iran's missile program nor address Iran-backed militias and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The return to power in Israel of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raises the specter of heightened regional tensions with Iran.
There are signs, however, that U.S.-Saudis ties are not as strained as they were just two months ago. The Wall Street Journal reports cooperation has improved on containing Iran, as efforts to revive the nuclear deal remain stalled. And the Biden administration has continued some support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Last summer, the Biden administration approved around $5 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to improve their air defenses. It came several months after the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi was rattled by Houthi missiles and drones. The attack was reminiscent of a larger strike in 2018 against Saudi Aramco's main oil processing facility.
The UAE Ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, made clear last month "the U.S. remains our most important partner."
Alyahya notes U.S. soft power is also unmatched, particularly among hundreds of thousands of Saudis who've studied abroad and are "voracious consumers of U.S. pop culture."
"The United States ... maybe stumbles every once in a while," Alyahya says. "But the U.S. is still the most important and most powerful country in the world."
..."The U.S. remains an irreplaceable security partner
For decades, U.S.-Gulf ties have centered most closely around security. The U.S. maintains an airbase in Qatar that's been used in the fight against Islamic State militants. The Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, patrols the Persian Gulf to deter Iran.
Despite whopping arms sales, joint military exercises with Gulf Arab states and a strong U.S. military presence in the region, there's "mistrust" and a sense in the Gulf that the U.S. hasn't been a consistent security partner since the Obama administration, Elfakhro says.
That mistrust stems from the now-tattered international accord which had curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions. Gulf states and Israel say the deal was flawed and did not curb Iran's missile program nor address Iran-backed militias and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The return to power in Israel of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raises the specter of heightened regional tensions with Iran.
There are signs, however, that U.S.-Saudis ties are not as strained as they were just two months ago. The Wall Street Journal reports cooperation has improved on containing Iran, as efforts to revive the nuclear deal remain stalled. And the Biden administration has continued some support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Last summer, the Biden administration approved around $5 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to improve their air defenses. It came several months after the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi was rattled by Houthi missiles and drones. The attack was reminiscent of a larger strike in 2018 against Saudi Aramco's main oil processing facility.
The UAE Ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, made clear last month "the U.S. remains our most important partner."
Alyahya notes U.S. soft power is also unmatched, particularly among hundreds of thousands of Saudis who've studied abroad and are "voracious consumers of U.S. pop culture."
"The United States ... maybe stumbles every once in a while," Alyahya says. "But the U.S. is still the most important and most powerful country in the world."
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