bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Long-standing ties between the United States, the world's oldest democracy, and Saudi Arabia, an ultra-conservative Islamic absolute monarchy, have strained at times, but the unlikely allies remain bound by mutual interests.
The depth of the complex relationship was highlighted yesterday when the White House announced President Barack Obama would travel to Riyadh on Tuesday to meet the new Saudi king, Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud.
The schedule change means Obama will cut short his three-day trip to India, missing a planned tour of the Taj Mahal.
The president mourned the loss of King Abdullah on Friday, saying he had "appreciated our genuine and warm friendship" and praising the late monarch as both "candid" and "bold".
Full diplomatic relations between the US and the Gulf kingdom were established in 1940 during the second world war.
It was the discovery of vast oil reserves beneath Saudi sands in the late 1930s that secured the kingdom's place as a vital partner for the energy-hungry US.
But there has been increasing unease in Riyadh about Obama's pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran, as well as his commitment to energy independence.
"The most important part about the relationship is that the two sides need each other," said Marina Ottaway, senior Middle East scholar with the Woodrow Wilson Centre.
"Saudi Arabia continues to remain important to the United States in terms of energy security and the Saudis have always felt in need of protection."
Riyadh's strategic location and unique spiritual authority as custodian of Islam's two holiest sites has meant it has been a key nation in a turbulent Middle East.
When neighbouring Kuwait was invaded in 1990 by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, then US president George H.W.Bush sent in more than 500,000 troops and launched a counterattack using US airbases in Saudi Arabia as staging posts.
It was "a moment of unparalleled cooperation between two great nations", Bush said, paying tribute to his "dear friend" the late King Abdullah.
But Ottaway said the Saudi royals never truly forgave Washington for the subsequent overthrow of Saddam in 2003, which they "feel was a major blunder ... because it opened the door to Iranian influence".
Ties were also strained after the September 2001 attacks on New York, when it was revealed that 15 of the 19 attackers were from Saudi Arabia.
"The Saudis ... could simply not believe that 15 of their sons had hijacked these airplanes and done what they had done," Robert Jordan, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told National Public Radio.
A series of 2003 attacks in the kingdom proved the turning point, turning Riyadh into a partner in the fight against al-Qaeda.
Underlying tensions flared last year however, when top Saudi officials were openly critical of US reluctance to attack Syria in an effort to oust long-time Saudi foe President Bashar al-Assad.
"The relationship is not what it was ... in a dynamic and changing environment in the Middle East," said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Centre.
Ties were better under Bush and his son, president George W. Bush, as it was "a relationship that was very much built on personal foundations", Shaikh said.


Unlikely US and Saudi allies still need one another

Barack Obama with the late King Abdullah in 2009. Photo: AFP

Hard path ahead for Saudi Arabia's new ruler

Saudi's newly enthroned King Salman (centre) receives pledges of loyalty following the death of King Abdullah during his funeral. Photo: AP

Saudi Arabia buries longtime leader as new King Salman sets succession plan and policy

Saudi King Salman gives a speech following the death of King Abdullah in Riyadh. Photo: Reuters

Mourners carrying the body of the late Saudi King, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, during his funeral in Riyadh. Photo: EPA

The late King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia in this 2009 file photo. Photo: AP

News

World

US and Saudis have seen their ties tested over Iraq and Iran, but trading petroleum for protection will continue to benefit both sides


Long-standing ties between the United States, the world's oldest democracy, and Saudi Arabia, an ultra-conservative Islamic absolute monarchy, have strained at times, but the unlikely allies remain bound by mutual interests.


Unlikely US and Saudi allies still need one another

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US and Saudis have seen their ties tested over Iraq and Iran, but trading petroleum for protection will continue to benefit both sides

US and Saudis have seen their ties tested over Iraq and Iran, but trading petroleum for protection will continue to benefit both sides