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Yet today, the Saudi-American alliance has never been in worse shape.
That is why on Friday President Barack Obama will meet with Saudi King Abdullah, one of the sons of King Abdul Aziz, in an attempt to patch things up.
What went wrong? In recent months the normally hyper-discreet Saudis have gone on the record about their dissatisfactions with the Obama administration.
Actually there are rational reasons for our distant relationship with the Saudis. But the RWNJs would prefer to blame it on Obama personally, rather than for rational reasons encompassing the bigger picture. And no, Obama does not kiss the Saudis butts the way Bush did. Btw, love how right wing extremists use CNN when is suits their agenda, but call it the Communist News Network when it does not.
"The reasons are not hard to find. For a start, surging oil production at home has sharply lessened America’s dependence on Saudi oil, even as Mr Obama’s determination to extract American forces from such quagmires as Iraq and Afghanistan has been reducing the American bootprint in the region. At the same time America’s pursuit, with its European allies, of a nuclear deal with Iran has exposed underlying differences. America sees the problem primarily as one of nuclear proliferation and secondarily as a threat to Israel. The Saudis instead fear Iran as a subversive regional rival..."
"...the kingdom’s rulers have taken to a more aggressive pursuit of their own regional interests. Widely cheered in the West, the outbreak of the Arab spring in 2011 was viewed with dismay and alarm in the Saudi capital, Riyadh..."
And the best--"Obama’s administration, meanwhile, has been shackled by an unusually obstreperous legislature. He will not even be greeted in Riyadh by an American ambassador. He nominated one in November, but Congress has refused so far to confirm his appointment."
The Saudis have never been our friend. Seriously. We've been their very valued customers. NOT their friends.
This topic is foolish.
Exactly; would we consider a country with such backward restrictions of personal freedom to be an ally if they weren't rich with oil (and making the Bush family money)?
Foreign press says Obama is going to give manpads to the Syrian rebels to appease the Saudis.
We'll see if the foreign press is right.
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