Saudi Arabia and the US … A Strong and Lasting Relationship

In the future, the Saudi-U.S. relationship will be as it has been in the past. It will strengthen, deepen, solidify and endure in order to continue serving the greater good for both countries. The relationship promotes regional and international security, peace and stability. It was founded on these lofty principles and will be continually reinforced in the interest of both countries and both peoples.

Does anyone doubt the strength of the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States? Does anyone question the depth and permanence of the historic, strategic, 75-year relationship between the two countries? And to anyone who does doubt the strength of the Saudi-American relationship, what is the basis for such doubts and questions?

How should we look at the future of the historical and strategic relationship between the two countries? The current American political scene has raised many questions about the issue, especially close to election day, due to the internal polarization caused by the two presidential candidates. In service of their agenda and values, the media has additionally questioned, discussed and predicted the future of America’s relationships with its historical allies, among them Saudi Arabia. And though these questions come about every election cycle, the depth and nature of these questions this time around sets this year apart. As such, discussion and clarification of the issue is of the utmost importance.

The initial answer is yes, there are people who doubt the strength of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, and yes, there are those who doubt how solid it is. However, these doubts are built on personal interests and emotion, not on verifiable scientific truth or evidence, as is customary in trustworthy studies and research. The fact that the doubters fail to apply even the most basic research standards renders their theories false and untrustworthy, because they are based on hopes and desires, which are always unreliable. The doubters also fail to use any basic standard of logic. Indeed, some logic might help them better gauge the future, since they have surrendered themselves to their desires. They have let themselves be carried away by dreams in which they see tension and setbacks in the Saudi-U.S. relationship. Naturally, this perversion of thought and morality affects how they forecast the future. Their values are directly reflected in their publications, where they aim to corrupt the truth and mislead the public. They seek to sow unrest among friends and allies, they serve terrorist groups and extremist organizations, they support corrupt ideologies and look to disturb the peace and security of stable, pacifist societies. These corrupters and misleaders are the ones who doubt the strength of the Saudi-U.S. relationship!

Though it would be logical to be astonished by these false claims, they appear every election cycle and crop up after every incident, political or economic, Arab or Islamic, regional or international. It is scornful that the propagators of these corrupt claims have not learned any lessons from history, nor have they benefited from the knowledge of the near or distant past. The history books say this: the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States officially began in February of 1945 with the historic encounter between our founder, King Abdulaziz (may he rest in peace) and President Franklin Roosevelt (a Democrat). From there, the relationship strengthened over the years under the leadership of the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz (may Allah support him), crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (may Allah protect him) and President Donald Trump (a Republican), who has made Saudi Arabia a foreign policy priority since he took office, resulting in his historic visit to Riyadh in May 2017.

Developments in recent decades and the current political situation have provided important signs that clearly demonstrate the continued strength of the Saudi-U.S. relationship. It deepens even further with each king that takes the throne, as well as with each president who assumes office, be it Democrat or Republican, and so it will be, regardless of the president’s party.

When the relationship was founded, it aimed to serve the shared interests of both countries, both societies and both peoples. It serves to promote peace, safety and stability, both regionally and internationally, and has generated international alliances to fight terrorist groups and militias. It has made significant contributions to protecting human rights and dignity, and has worked to alleviate the pain of people and countries who suffer from poverty, starvation and displacement resulting from natural causes and wars. There is a long history of cooperation and strategic coordination between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that benefits not only those two countries, but others as well. It has produced countless positive results, bringing peace and stability back to the region and back to the world.

And finally, it is important to emphasize that in the future the Saudi-U.S. relationship will be as it has been in the past. It will strengthen, deepen, solidify and endure in order to continue serving the greater good for both countries. The relationship promotes regional and international security, peace and stability. It was founded on these lofty principles and will be continually reinforced in the interest of both countries and both peoples.