Saudi Arabia's Historic Pattern of
Opposing U.S. Interests & Rejecting Peace
(Updated August 2009)
When President Barack Obama traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with King
Abdullah, he reportedly asked for Saudi support
for his efforts to reinvigorate the peace
process and specifically asked the king
to take steps to normalize relations with Israel and encourage other Arab states to
do the same. Abdullah refused and Saudi officials
have subsequently made clear they have no
intention of doing anything to support the
President's peace efforts or to make any
gestures that would hint at recognition of Israel. The king's snub of Obama was expected given the history
of U.S.-Saudi relations. Here are a few examples
of how Saudi Arabia has undermined U.S. interests
through the years:
Saudi Arabia Undermines U.S. interests
in Peace and Security
- Following the Six-Day War, the United
States expected the Saudis to play a moderating
role in the Arab world and to support negotiations
based on UN Security Council Resolution
242 but instead supported the adoption
of the three noes of Khartoum.
- The Saudis pressured countries to break
relations with Israel and punished those
that improved ties. For example, the
Saudis broke ties with Zaire when that
country restored them with Israel, severed
relations with Costa Rica when it moved
its embassy to Jerusalem and threatened
to financially cripple Canada if it moved
its embassy (it never did).
- Jimmy Carter believed the Saudis agreed
to support the Israel-Egypt peace treaty and would help rally Arab support for the
agreement but instead did everything possible
to sabotage the treaty, ostracizing Egypt and discouraging other countries from following Sadat's example.
- Saudi officials now reject Obama’s proposals and discourage other Arab leaders
from accepting them.
Saudi Arabia Damages the U.S. Economy
- Our friend and ally imposed an oil boycott in 1967 and a more crippling one in 1973
that threatened U.S. military operations
in Vietnam, caused a spike in inflation
and sent the economy into a recession.
- When the United States created a strategic
petroleum reserve to protect the nation
against future oil shortages, the Saudis
threatened to reduce production.
- The Saudis continue to manipulate
oil supply to ensure that prices stay high,
but not so high as to provoke conservation
measures.
- Saudi Arabia continues to adhere to
the Arab boycott which has historically
blacklisted American companies for doing
business in Israel.
- As in response to the 9/11 lawsuit
mentioned below, the Saudis have threatened
to withdraw their sizeable investments
in the United States if American policy
displeases them.
Saudi Arabia Supports Terrorists Who Kill
Americans and Threaten Our Allies
- U.S. officials have repeatedly cited Saudi
Arabia as a leading sponsor of terrorism.
- 15
of 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis as were
one-third of the prisoners at Guantanamo.
- King Abdullah criticized America’s
“illegitimate” occupation and large numbers
of Saudis joined the insurgency in Iraq
fighting U.S. forces.
- The
Saudis have long supported Palestinian
terrorists, paid off the families of
“martyrs” and, more recently,
provided funding to Hamas.
- Saudis
support charities funding terror.
- Saudi Arabia finances Muslim schools
around the world that teach the most
extreme versions of Islam and foster
hatred of Christians, Jews and the West.
- When
they had the opportunity, the Saudis refused
to arrest bin Laden and the mastermind
of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing.
- The Saudi government
obstructed the FBI investigations into
the murder of five Americans in the 1995
bombing of a National Guard building in
Riyadh and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing
in Dhahran that killed 19 Americans.
- The Saudi intelligence service found
that 95 percent of educated Saudis between
the ages of 25 and 41 supported bin Laden
in October 2001.
- The Saudis threatened to withdraw billions
of dollars in investments from the United
States if a lawsuit against Saudi officials
filed by 9/11 survivors was not dropped.
Saudi Arabia Opposes American Core Values
- Saudi Arabia does not respect any of
the basic freedoms — speech, assembly,
religion, press —Americans
hold dear.
- Saudi Arabia is an authoritarian theocracy
run by a family that came to power through
conquest.
- Saudi Arabia did not abolish slavery
until pressured to do so by President Kennedy in the 1960s.
- Saudis
prevent Christian worship and have confiscated
religious articles such as bibles and crucifixes.
- For years, Jews were barred from entering
the country or even landing in transit,
and remain unwelcome and the subject
of anti-Semitic attacks by government
officials, clergy and the media.
- U.S. citizens,
including troops defending the kingdom,
have for decades been forced to accommodate
their behavior to Saudi customs whereas
Saudis expect the benefit of all of America's
freedoms when they are in the United States.
- Saudi women are treated as second class
citizens in what has been described as
gender apartheid.
Saudi Arabia Hurts American
Security Interests
- During the Cold War, the Saudis always
claimed to be anti-Communist, and U.S.
arms sales to Saudi Arabia were often justified
by their opposition to the Soviet Union and need to be protected from it; however,
the Saudis often threatened to turn to
the Soviets when the U.S. did not give
them what they wanted, did go behind America's
back to secretly purchase
Chinese missiles, and financed
Soviet weapons purchases by Syria and others,
which strengthened the Soviet foothold
in the region.
- Since allowing the U.S. to use the
American-made based in Saudi Arabia to
defend the kingdom from Saddam Hussein,
the Saudis have repeatedly refused to
allow U.S. forces to use those bases
for other vital operations in the region.
- Saudi Arabia has been uncooperative
in efforts to isolate Iran or to stabilize Iraq.
Saudi Arabia Flouts U.S.
Laws
- Saudi Arabia has discriminated against
Americans, in particular, Jews.
- Even after promising to end its boycott
of Israel in exchange for U.S. support
of its admission into the World Trade
Organization, the Saudis continue their
boycott.
- Saudis have been alleged to engage
in bribery for decades to win military
and other commercial contracts. Some
of the alleged bribes have led to foreign
companies winning contracts over American
firms.
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